


Noumenon

by beaglesinbowties (Girlblunder)



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama, F/F, Friendship, Romance, Sci-fi/fantasy, Sexual Content, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-06-05 15:51:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 67,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6711433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Girlblunder/pseuds/beaglesinbowties
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex is a child when her world changes forever and she meets Kara of El. Over the next several years, they grow and bond in ways that threaten what others feel is the natural order of things - for in this world Kryptonians rule Earth, and humans are little more than pets or tools to be utilized.</p><p>Sci-fi/fantasy AU borrowing some from actual lore and re-imagined in a world where Kara is the equivalent of a Kryptonian Princess and Alex is her servant.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This has been a while in coming, but those of you on Tumblr or Patreon are aware of that. I'm already several chapters ahead, and posts will be steadily made every Sunday. If I finish the final chapter ahead of schedule, the posting schedule will elevate to twice a week. I'm still a ways off from that, but I'm certain you won't mind.
> 
> This will very much be a slow burn fic, focusing on how Alex - and then Kara grow and mature and become incredible people in their own rights.
> 
> On Tumblr I'd started to list all the ways my version of Earth-bound Kryptonian society would function, but I realize that there's only a very superficial resemblance to what people have seen in comics, movies, and animated shows. The choices made here are intentionally different from all of the various canons.

* * *

Alex is five years and two weeks old when her father sits her down to quietly break the news. It’s dark outside and she’s surprised that he apparently hasn’t brought her out to admire the stars through the eyepiece of their small brass telescope.

Instead of leading her over to where the telescope stands, he pats the wooden stairs that lead to their small garden. She sits silently.

“Alex,” he says in a solemn tone of voice, “things are going to change soon.”

“Change? What do you mean, Daddy?” She doesn’t know what to expect from such a declaration. In Midvale hardly anything ever changes.

Jeremiah smiles at her, but even she can tell he doesn’t quite mean it. “Our gracious sponsor Cirl-Nis has decided that you will be sent to Argo City to be a companion to a scion of one of the noble Houses of Krypton.”

Alex silently wishes that the porch light wasn’t behind them so she could see her dad’s eyes better. “What does that mean?”

He swallows and averts his gaze. “You’re going to be moving away.”

Her heart thumps in her chest so hard that she’s scared it might bruise her from the inside. “When are we moving?”

“Honey, _we’re_ not moving. You are.”

Her dad tells her a lot more things, but little penetrates the fog of fear that surrounds her. She’s _never_ been away from both her mom and dad at the same time, and she’s never ever left Midvale - not that she can remember.

She’s heard of kids being sent off to live with the Kryptonians, but she always thought that only happened to kids who did bad things.

“Are you sending me away because I’m bad?” she asks fearfully.

There’s a gasp from behind them, and Alex turns in time to catch sight of her mother. Both hands are tightly pressed over Eliza’s mouth and Alex can tell she’s trying really very hard not to cry.

“Mom?” Alex stands and takes two steps to the door when her mom turns and rushes away.

“You’re not bad, Alex,” Jeremiah says softly. His large hand lands on her shoulder to gently turn her back to face him. “If anything, you were chosen because you’re _so good_.”

With his face turned to the house, Alex can finally see his eyes. There’s tears welling in them the same as her mother’s. “I don’t want to be good if it means I have to leave you and Mommy.”

And then, for the first time in Alex Danvers’s life, she sees her father cry. She rushes to him, hugging him as tightly as she can as her own tears pour down her face.

“Can you come see me sometimes?” Alex asks once her tears have stopped and she’s resting sideways over her dad’s lap. Her cheek is pressed to the soft cotton of his thin jacket, and she can hear the steady pulse of his strong heart. She closes her eyes and focuses on the smell of sunshine and the faint traces of dinner that clings to his clothes.

“I don’t know,” he answers honestly, “but I’ll try.”

“When do I have to go?” she asks when she’s gathered enough courage to do so.

“We don’t know yet. Cirl-Nis informed us today that you’d been selected for the companion pool based on your aptitude tests and performance at school. Once they’ve matched you, I imagine they’ll come.”

The uncertainty of his answer is unsettling, and Alex silently hopes that the day she’s matched never comes.

“Can we look at the stars now?” Her dad’s arms are snug around her, but right now she wants nothing more than to forget the last hour and pretend like everything is normal and safe.

“Sure.”

Alex tries to be thrilled as she stares up at the constellations and her father quizzes her about them, but the normally fun activity seems bland.

“Don’t worry, things will work out,” Jeremiah says when they return inside some time later.

She smiles and nods even though her dad’s hand is gripping her shoulder a little too tightly.

* * *

Alex is five years and three months old when Cirl-Nis arrives to escort her to the high speed transport that will take her to Argo City. The painful goodbye between her and her parents is still fresh in Alex’s mind, and she distracts herself by focusing on the pristine white spikes of Cirl-Nis’s hair.

“You have brought my house an opportunity for great honor, Alexandra Danvers,” Cirl-Nis says once they’re inside the odd oval travel pod that Alex only vaguely recognizes as such from a book she’d read in class.

As soon as she sits a harness snakes out over her shoulders and waist. She sends a fearful look to Cirl-Nis, who only smiles. She wants to ask what he means, but her stomach lurches when the pod begins hovering and then they’re flying fast - even faster than she’s ever ridden her mother’s horse.

The small bit of breakfast she’d managed to choke down that morning threatens to rise up her throat, but she forces it down. Her hands are clammy as she clutches at her harness and stares at the crest on the front of Cirl-Nis’s slate grey vest. It’s a symbol she’s seen countless times around town - the House of Nis has been Midvale’s sponsor since before Alex can remember.

She’s never seen a scion of Nis up close before, though she’d seen Cirl-Nis from the back of a large crowd at the last winter commencement festival. Her dad had lifted her up onto his broad shoulders so she could catch a glimpse of the elusive Kryptonian.

“How long will it take to get to Argo City?” she asks to avoid the memory.

“A half hour once we reconnect with the main transport,” Cirl-Nis informs her.

Her stomach lurches when the pod changes direction suddenly, flying straight up and angling until there’s a faint click and a hissing sound.

The harness around Alex disappears, and then she’s scurrying to keep up with Cirl-Nis as one side of the pod opens to reveal a much larger room.

A robotic servant greets Cirl-Nis, a rounded ball of chrome that isn’t as nearly interesting as everything _else_. They have an exchange of words as Alex looks around the interior of the transport with wide eyes. Her father has done some work in Kryptonian labs before, but his descriptions of their technology have not prepared her for the twisting black metal that is intricately woven around them.

“This way, Alex,” Cirl-Nis says. She stumbles after him. They pass a few other Kryptonians wearing various colored garments before stopping in front of a large curved panel.

The dark metal changes, becoming clear. The world is passing by so _quickly_ in a green and brown blur below them. Alex barely gives warning before the bit of breakfast she’s done so well at keeping down suddenly makes its way up and out of her mouth.

She’s terrified when she looks up at Cirl-Nis, but the tall man just sighs.

“Syril, tidy up this mess and then take Alexandra to get cleaned up.”

The robotic servant is suddenly there again, its odd round body hovering several feet above the ground. The top of the robot opens, and then red light is flickering in waves over the mess Alex has made.

It’s gone in a matter of moments. Alex silently wishes she had a robot like this for the times her mom tells her she needs to clean her room.

“This way.” The robot chimes to emphasize its point. Alex hurries behind the shining silver robot, slowing when she suddenly remembers that she won’t be returning home so there’s no room to clean anyway.

She emerges from a small room minutes later. She’s clean though she hasn’t showered, and upset because her simple cotton tunic and leggings have been taken away. She’s uncomfortable in the garb of Kryptonians, though unlike everyone she’s seen today there is no emblem to mark her beige overcoat.

“Better,” Cirl-Nis says when he sees her again. “Now let’s have a seat while we wait. It shouldn’t be much longer now.”

Seats emerge from the floor, and Alex tentatively sits next to Cirl-Nis. She’s still a little queasy, but she’s not sure if that’s because of the ride or how scared she is not knowing what’s coming next.

She doesn’t notice when the transport stops, but again hurries to follow Cirl-Nis when he stands. Everything seems fine until a set of large oblong doors open to reveal five grim-faced Kryptonians in notable black uniforms.

Cirl-Nis freezes in the doorway, looking startled to see so many members of the military guild waiting at the bottom of the ramp. Alex’s eyes flick from black suit to black suit, trying to remember which sigils belong to which house but drawing a blank.

“What is the meaning of this?” Cirl-Nis voice shakes just enough for Alex to notice it. She swallows hard and clenches her fists at her sides.

A woman strides forward, and Alex has no problem remembering _her_ house name - the emblem over this woman’s left breast belongs to one of the seven Great Houses. There’s a thick lock of white hair amongst the otherwise auburn strands, and Alex is speechless.

“C-colonel Ze,” Cirl-Nis stutters out as he bows deeply, “to what do I owe this honor?”

Alex ducks her head in a semblance of a bow, though she peeks up at the colonel through her lashes.

“You escorted the child yourself, Cirl-Nis?” the woman asks.

Cirl-Nis licks his lips and takes a breath. He straightens his shoulders. “Yes, I hold her parents in high regard.”

“Curious,” Colonel Ze says as her attention wanders to Alex.

Alex forces herself to look down. There’s a pause that makes Alex _very_ curious, but she keeps her attention on the ground.

The colonel speaks again scant seconds later. “Be proud Cirl-Nis, the child you have brought to our attention has been matched with a scion of one of the Great Houses.”

Alex sends a shocked side-look at Cirl-Nis, who seems equally stunned. A large grin grows on his face before it’s wiped away. “I am humbled by the council’s decision.”

“Of course,” Colonel Ze says with a smirk. “We’ll continue the escort from here.”

Cirl-Nis bows and gently pushes Alex forward. She almost stumbles as she descends the ramp, but catches herself before she can take a tumble.

As soon as she clears the ramp it retracts, and she feels a soft gush of air as the transport takes flight again.

“Let’s not be late,” the colonel says as the four other soldiers create a loose formation around her and Alex.

Alex does her best to keep up with the much taller people around her, not noticing her surroundings much until they’re in front of a set of ornate metal doors. The white-blue crystal laced with sleek white metals of the outer walls makes Alex’s mouth drop open.

She’s seen buildings like these a handful of times on the small screen her parents had been awarded after a particular scientific discovery, but those times hadn’t prepared her for the reality of seeing one of the enormous towering castles in person.

A soldier bumps into her from behind. Alex remembers she’s supposed to be walking as she hurries to catch back up with the colonel.

They proceed through the open doors and down many winding hallways. The interior is darker than Alex expects from the almost magical facade of the exterior walls, each area lined with twisting metal not unlike the interior of the transport she’d traveled on to get here.

They turn and turn again, and Alex gasps when two of the soldiers grasp either of her arms and then they’re flying upwards. She isn’t sure how high they go, but moments later they’re back on the sturdy metal floor. This time when Alex stumbles she’s lucky because the soldiers haven’t quite loosened their grip yet.

They haven’t gone far when Alex suddenly hears a small, high pitched voice.

“Aunt Astra,” the young voice cries, “you came to visit me!”

Alex blinks in surprise when the colonel suddenly rushes ahead. Colonel Ze crouches and turns, opening her arms just in time to receive a tiny body. “Not quite, Little One.”

The little girl, whose arms are slung tightly around the colonel’s neck, pulls back and frowns up at her aunt. “But Aunt Astra, you’re right here.”

“That is true, but I’m here because your parents wanted me to bring you something important.” Astra stands and turns, the little girl’s hand tucked safely into her own.

Alex is quiet as she stares at the shorter girl. Though she’s seen so few Kryptonians in her brief life, there’s one thing she’s been taught since she first learned her colors; white is only worn by the ruling house. The new girl is wearing a set of flowing white Kryptonian robes, and there’s no way Alex doesn’t know the S-like symbol on the front of the garb.

Her heart flutters in her chest, making her think of the hummingbirds she’d glimpsed out in her family’s small garden early in the mornings.

“Kara,” Astra continues as she and the girl stop only a few feet in front of Alex, “this is your new companion, Alexandra Danvers.”

“A human co-panion,” Kara says in a voice full of awe. Her blue eyes are wide as she drops her aunt’s hand and steps closer to Alex.

Alex sweats nervously when the girl’s face moves closer to her own. She focuses on the light brown hair that’s randomly streaked with dark blonde tones, wondering how much trouble she’d be in if she were to tell the little girl to back up a little.

“Hey!” she blurts when she’s roughly jabbed on the shoulder.

The girl grins and then begins running back down the short hallway towards a room. “Tag, you’re it!”

Alex freezes, unsure what to do even though her feet are itching to run so she can show the little pipsqueak in white that it’s not cool to cheat at tag.

“Go on,” the colonel says, “we’ll meet up with you in a moment.”

Alex glances up at the woman only briefly before taking off. She thinks she hears laughter behind her, but she doesn’t care. Now that she’s running she wonders if there’s some way she can get out of here - maybe there’s some way she can find her way back home.

She makes it to the room she saw the girl disappear into quickly, but her hope deflates the moment she steps into it. It’s large and glaringly white, and even though it’s got a few areas that are obviously meant to be played in, it’s clear to Alex that there’s only one way in or out.

Her hands clench as she looks around and she feels the sharp sting of tears forming in her eyes.

There’s a loud giggle and Alex turns with a frown. In the veritable sea of white off to one side behind a pillar, she can just see bits of light brown hair poking out. There’s another giggle and Alex remembers she’s supposed to be playing tag.

She doesn’t want to play tag. She wants to go home. The soldiers will be here any second and Alex doesn’t know what to do. What will they do to her if she doesn’t play tag? A few stories she’s heard at school about Kryptonians come to mind and her eyes sting worse.

Even though her mom and dad had talked to her about moving to Argo City and what she might have to do, Alex finds that all the talking in the world isn’t enough to dispel the fear and homesickness that are making her stomach churn. A few tears trickle down her face.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Alex swallows and looks up. The little girl is back, a frown on her face as she examines Alex.

Alex shrugs. She doesn’t know what to say and she doesn’t want to get into trouble.

The girl’s frown deepens, but then her face clears. “I’m sorry, I was rude. Alexnandra Davers, I’m Kara of El.”

The introduction is enough to distract Alex from her sadness. “My name is _Alex Danvers_ , not...whatever it is you just said.”

Instead of being upset, Kara smiles. “Oh, okay. You can call me Kara if I can call you Alex.”

Alex nods, one hand rising absently to wipe at the moisture on her cheeks.

Kara’s smile widens into a grin. “Wanna play tag?”

“Not really,” Alex says in a low voice as she glance back at the hallway. “I don’t really feel like playing much right now.”

“Why not?” Kara asks, a small crinkle forming between her eyebrows.

“I...I’m kinda sad. I had to leave my parents today and I don’t know when I’ll get to see them again,” Alex admits slowly. She’s not sure what she should say, but Kara seems nice.

“Oh, no! Why? That sounds bad.” Kara takes another step closer, and Alex can see her eyes glisten. It makes Alex feel a little better.

Before Alex can say more, another voice cuts in. “Alex’s parents love her very much, but they live in a small human town. Because Alex finds normal human school so easy, it was decided that she deserved a chance to learn even _more_. And she will, here with you.”

Colonel Ze’s voice is soft and understanding as she moves closer to them, but her eyes are only for Kara.

Kara brightens again and turns to Alex. “It’s okay Alex, you’re going to learn a lot. Maybe you can visit your parents. I’ll love you lots to make up for it - I’ve wanted a friend for a long time!”

Alex can’t cry as she looks at Kara’s hopeful face. Kara might be just a kid like herself, but there’s something about the way she smiles that makes her hope infectious. “Okay.”

The word is low - almost too low - but Kara hears it all the same. She squeals and rushes to Alex with wide arms.

Alex swallows, prepared to be crushed under the Kryptonian strength every human is aware of from a young age, but instead she’s just squeezed tightly. It’s uncomfortable and maybe bordering a little on the edge of pain, but Alex is surprised all the same. Her arms rise to awkwardly return the hug as she tries to figure out why she doesn’t feel the menace of alien strength in Kara’s arms.

The hug ends and Alex stares at Kara.

“Do you feel better?” Kara asks. “I always feel better after hugs.”

And though Alex is still feeling a motley of things that aren’t good, she smiles. It’s small and shaky, but steadies when Kara reaches out to take her hand. “A little.”

Kara bounces up and down in place. “Come on, I want to show you my favorite thing to play with!”

“Okay,” Alex murmurs as she’s dragged willingly along to one of the play areas. There’s a thick carpet and large cushions, and a white container she’s certain has all sorts of toys she could never begin to imagine.

As Kara removes an odd liquid-solid bronze orb from the chest and shows Alex through a series of hand gestures all of the different forms it can take, Alex forgets for a little while that she was taken from her parents and the only home she’s ever known.

Kara is bright and fun, and she takes great pleasure in showing Alex all of her favorite things in the playroom.

Alex is unaware of when the soldiers leave them to play, distracted as she is by the cautious happiness that bubbles up every time she looks at her new friend in the new scary world she knows she’ll probably be living in for most of her life.

* * *

As the day wears on Alex is terrified she’ll be separated from Kara, but the Kryptonians that come to collect them for dinner seem content to leave them be.

Though Alex has never been a particularly tactile child, she finds herself holding hands with Kara more often than not. There’s reassurance in Kara’s hand that Alex can’t quite explain - beyond the fact that in an ocean of Kryptonians that Alex has been raised to fear and respect, she truly feels that Kara means her no harm.

Kara is quietly insistent that Alex accompany her everywhere, and Alex isn’t sure if it’s her white robes or big blue eyes that allow Kara to get her way, but Alex is happy in any case.

The Fortress of El is large and daunting, but Kara takes delight in showing her around. There are lifts just for the human servants, and special ones for the Kryptonian youth that have yet to learn how to fly. Alex is allowed to accompany Kara on the latter.

The platform is ornate, making her think that the floor consists of oddly flat tree roots that fold and twist and curl outward. In the center is a large round floating crystal that Kara twists and angles to get them moving.

Alex is aware of the silent members of the military guild that shadow her and Kara around the immense building, but after a while she learns to ignore the inky material of their uniforms from the periphery of her vision.

“And this is where I eat,” Kara explains as they enter another large white chamber. This one is different in the beautiful arches that start intermittently on either side and angle upward to meet at the room’s center, and the glowing rhombohedron crystals that hover mere inches from the ceiling where the arches connect.

Alex squints, but she doesn’t see anything holding them up. Her mind searches for an explanation of this technology in what her father has explained to her, but Kara’s tugging at her hand and then she forgets anything other than following her new friend to food.

Her stomach has been clenching painfully for the last hour or so, having lost the little breakfast she’d consumed that morning and not having eaten anything since then.

A long table bisects the room, a clear substance that Alex assumes is more of the odd Kryptonian crystal, with white chairs that are crafted in such a way that make Alex think of the whitecaps of waves that endlessly reach out for land.

“Who else eats here?” Alex asks as Kara drags her along to a particular spot at the far end of the table.

The smile that Kara has worn for most of the day drops from her face as she sits in what is obviously her spot. “No one. My cousin used to visit, but he doesn’t any more. He’s too old now, and he’s got asponsiblities.”

“Responsibilities?” Alex asks as she sits next to Kara. The large hall is somehow less daunting now that Alex knows they won’t have company, but she can’t feel happy about that with how upset Kara looks.

“That’s what I said!” Kara declares loudly. She deflates and looks down at the table, her fingers tracing against the table top. “I used to eat with my parents and everyone else in a big room, but they said it’s not safe. That’s why I’m happy you’re here, Alex.”

Alex doesn’t know what to say. She’s always had other kids her own age to play with in Midvale, and she can’t imagine what it would be like to be isolated from everyone - though as she looks around she realizes that’s exactly what’s happening now.

She considers the life she knew before today and the one she knows is expected of her after it. “If I can’t be with my parents, I’m glad I could be here with you, Kara.”

The words seem right enough if Kara’s smile is anything to go by. They don’t talk as their food is brought out by beige-clad servants. Alex looks down at her own garb. They’re human like her, but they have the distinct House of El pressed into the fabric of the top of their left arms. She wonders when or if she’ll get her own version of this uniform.

The food, at least, is familiar. There’s chopped potatoes, asparagus, squash, and a small portion of beef. Alex hasn’t eaten a lot of meat in her life, but she doesn’t mind the taste.The squash is her favorite, reminding her a little of her garden back home.

Kara hums as she eats, consuming her food at a much higher rate than Alex could ever manage. Though Alex has been hungry, she finds herself pushing her plate towards Kara. She’s eaten enough anyway, and Kara looks as though she could eat several plates more.

“Really?” Kara asks with wide eyes as she looks down at the plate that’s still half-full.

“Sure,” Alex affirms. Again she finds herself smiling as Kara dances in her chair and admires the additional helping of food. Though there’s still a blanket of sadness weighing over her and her memories of her former life, she’s not altogether unhappy where she is.

She thinks back to the many talks she’d had with her mom and dad about the ways her life might change. This is nothing like she expected, and certainly nothing like what they’d expect. She thinks maybe they might be happy knowing where she is and how well she’s being treated - there had certainly been less than pleasant stories that had circulated about rejected companions from lower Houses.

Servants come out to clean up as they finish, and again Kara takes her hand.

“Normally I don’t get so much time to play,” Kara says as she leads the way back to the lift that will take them back to Kara’s floor, “but J’onn said today is a special day.”

“J’onn?” Alex asks as she tries to distract herself from the odd feeling of being lifted several stories into the air by the platform beneath her feet. Kara’s hand in hers works as a great focus as her stomach twists and clenches a warning.

“J’onn is my friend. Well, he’s kind of grumpy, but he’s nice. He picks out my lessons and teachers.” Kara leads the way again when the elevator stops, skipping along merrily and swinging Alex’s hand.

Alex nods to herself absently, wondering what the next day would bring but also too nervous to ask.

The day slips away quickly after that, the quiet games of tag and playing with the several odd toys Kara has making Alex lose track of time.

Servants come for her then as night settles, but Kara stubbornly refuses to let her be taken.

“No,” Kara says with a pointed glare when the beige-clad servant tries to pull Alex’s hand from hers.

A member of the military guild seems to materialize from nowhere, giving the servant a nod. The servant bows and backs away, leaving the room without another word.

“Scion of El, the servants were ordered to take your companion to her quarters - am I to understand this displeases you?” The man looks severe in his black uniform, his close cropped head bowing as he addresses Kara.

Kara’s face screws up before smoothing out into a startlingly mature look. “Yes. My copanion will stay with me. In my room. Tell my father this is what I wish.”

The man looks unsure, but he bows anyway. “As you wish, Great Scion. I will have a cot prepared for your companion at once.”

Kara blows out a breath when he leaves, giving Alex a large and childish grin. Alex doesn’t know what to say so she smiles back.

No one comes to disturb them again, though Alex still catches flashes of their shadowy guards as Kara leads them back to the lift.

She watches carefully as Kara manipulates the crystal, wanting to understand how it functions without asking. Part of the reason she’d always done so well at school is her curious mind - or so her mother had told her.

Alex pushes aside thoughts of her mother as the elevator stops and she trails after an exuberant Kara. The halls here are different; the arches make her think of their dining hall, but unlike the other spaces Kara has led her to for most of the day, this place has _color_.

There’s silver trim emphasizing the arches, with bright bits of red and gold framing large crystal windows on either side of the hallway. She looks down and is in awe of the same colors making the twisting root pattern of the elevator platform. When she looks closer, she can see a flowing Kryptonese script in each root - and though she knows Kryptonese just as well as English, she’s unable to decipher the words.

Kara’s room is all sharp angles juxtaposed with swooping curves, her large bed almost seeming to be a large leaf extending from the world’s oddest crystal-and-metal tree. It’s beautiful and alien, and Alex has never felt further from home. She stares up at the odd floating crystals near the ceiling only briefly.

There’s a single sleeping pallet off to one side, padded and raised on wooden legs and better than the one Alex had back in Midvale. Kara takes one look at it and declares that Alex will be sleeping in her bed.

Alex doesn’t care either way, though part of her is comforted at the thought that she won’t be totally alone if Kara’s only a pillow away. She waffles between determination to fit into this new world and desperately missing home, though she never shows Kara this. It’s not Kara’s fault that she’s here, just as it’s obvious that Kara loves the tiny bits of control she _does_ have over her own life.

They prepare for bed, Kara showing her the expansive bathing room off to one side that they’ll share for the immediate future. Alex still feels as if she’s living in some odd dream, one that she only wishes her parents could be a part of.

With fresh faces and clean teeth, and a borrowed cotton sleeping gown that Alex is relieved is neither white nor bears the symbol for the House of El, they settle down for bed.

“Good night, Alex,” Kara says as the room dims.

“Good night, Kara,” Alex parrots as she stares out one of the large crystal windows that overlook Kara’s bed.

It’s quiet, and Alex finds herself staring up at the stars. She silently begins naming the constellations she can see, but by the third there’s silent tears washing down her face.

When Kara stirs and curls up with her, Alex is too surprised to speak. Kara doesn’t say anything, but her small arms squeeze Alex tightly. The unexpected comfort makes Alex cry harder, but she offers Kara a wobbly smile once the worst of it passes.

Kara’s face is a little wet too, and Alex reaches out automatically to wipe at it.

“Sorry,” Alex whispers.

“It’s okay,” Kara whispers back, “sometimes I get sad too. It’s okay to be sad, Alex.”

Alex thinks of the world she’s left behind, and all the love and laughter she’s shared with her family. She reflects on Kara’s world, beautiful and empty and lonely. They’re different worlds entirely, but in an odd way Alex feels like the place that’s been carved out for her here _fits_.

She’s been chosen to help Kara, to learn with her - and to help her not feel so alone. Alex has been lucky to have the time she’s had with her family. Though she hopes that she’ll get to go back to them to at least visit, she accepts that such things are out of her control.

She reaches out and pulls Kara into a hug. Part of her should resent Kara for bringing her here, but she can’t. If it wasn’t Kara, it would be another kid. Her brief life with her parents has taught her much, and she hopes that she can share some of that with Kara.

The ache of loneliness lessens just a bit when she hugs Kara.

“Let’s sleep,” she says. She feels Kara nod against her shoulder. They separate and their shoulders remain in contact despite the size of the spacious bed.

Alex falls asleep to Kara’s steady breaths as she looks up at the stars and tries to silently deny to herself that she misses Midvale and her family.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to put this out a day early since tomorrow is Mother's Day and maybe some of you might not get a chance to read it.

* * *

In the first few moments in the morning before Alex opens her eyes, she forgets that she’s not in Midvale. The extra softness beneath her is the first reminder; the soft tickle of someone else’s breath against her face is the second.

“Kara,” Alex whispers when she remembers. A quick look confirms the memory.

She’s surprised when Kara stirs, eyelashes fluttering as the younger girl stretches and yawns.

“G’morning,” Kara says as she stifles another yawn.

“Morning.” Alex shifts a little away, uncomfortable with their close proximity in the light of morning.

“Good morning!” A loud voice booms.

Alex jolts and rolls off of the bed, landing in a crouch and ready to move.

“J’onn,” Kara says with a groan. She hasn’t moved from the bed.

A man steps forward from the shadowy space between the hall and Kara’s room, and Alex tries not to react. ‘Man’ is a relative term - the person before Alex now is unlike any she’s ever seen. He’s taller than most, with green skin and a conical head that tapers backward.

He’s not Kryptonian, though his uniform _is_. It’s the black of the military guild, but instead of a house emblem on his upper sleeve or torso, a large red ‘x’ boldly crosses from shoulders to just above his hips. Alex isn’t sure what the emblem means, but her mind insists she should be wary.

“And who do we have here?” J’onn says as he steps even closer.

Alex stands cautiously, but keeps her feet positioned so she’s ready to move if she has to.

“This is my copanion!” Kara declares as she bounces on her knees against the mattress.

“Ah, I see.” J’onn stands where he is, a patient expression on his face. “Do you have a name?”

“Alex Danvers,” Alex says as she straightens.

J’onn nods and crosses his arms over his chest, dropping them a moment later. There’s a small bundle in his hands. He extends his arm. “These are for you, Alex Danvers.”

Alex blinks and steps forward to accept what she recognizes as clothes. They’re the same beige all human servants wear, but she finds the small sigil bearing the mark of the House of El over the left arm. “Thank you,” she says grudgingly.

She’s wondered when they would make her wear their mark, and the clothes suddenly seem very heavy. Accepting the new uniform signifies an important change in her new life; she knows the moment she puts them on there will be no turning back, no denying that Midvale will become a distant memory like the grandparents she’s seen herself in photos with as a toddler.

“You two need to get ready,” J’onn prods a beat later.

“Breakfast,” Kara declares reverently as she scrambles down from the bed and pulls Alex along by the hand to her private bathing chambers.

They get ready in a rush, and Alex is in a daze by the time they make it down to the meal hall. J’onn is with them, not hidden like the silent shadows of the military guild, but a serene addition to their small group.

As soon as they finish breakfast (and Kara helps Alex once again) J’onn takes charge.

They end up in a suite of rooms in one of the lower sections of the fortress, and when they’re joined by a scholarly looking woman Alex understands they’re going to start their lessons.

Though Alex is half-resigned to hate her time in the House of El, she finds their lessons fascinating. The bare bones of Kryptonian math and science she’d received at Midvale are nothing like this, and she consumes the fresh knowledge with the same vigor Kara displays for food.

Around midday they pause for a snack, settling around a small metal table that has a view of the city Alex essentially ignores. She isn’t really hungry, and she only manages a few pieces of her assorted fruit before its passed off to a pleased Kara.

Alex had been startled to discover that Kara is a year younger than her but already at what Midvale would consider an advanced level, and she reasons she has a lot of catching up to do.

“What’s next?” she asks J’onn as she wipes her hands with a napkin.

J’onn, who’s waited patiently for her to engage him first all day, smiles. “Defensive Techniques.”

Alex tries to hide her frown. She’d rather learn more about Kryptonian History - and history is her least favorite subject.

“Your body should be trained at least as half as well as your mind, but hopefully more,” J’onn adds when Alex doesn’t respond.

“All Kryptonians must become experts in hand-to-hand com...com...fighting before becoming an adult,” Kara enunciates carefully around a particularly large bite of apple.

“I’m not a Kryptonian,” Alex says in a sharp voice before she can stop herself.

Kara drops the chunk of orange she’d been about to eat back to her plate. She looks upset at the flub. “I-I know, I was j-just--”

J’onn reaches forward and rests a soothing hand on her shoulder. “Alex was simply stating a fact.” He turns to Alex and steadies her with an admonishing look. “You might not be Kryptonian, but you are following a Kryptonian education. As not only Kara’s, but _your_ overseer, I will ensure that you receive a complete and thorough one.”

Alex swallows down further argument - what good are defensive techniques when most of the world is full of superpowered aliens that could roast her with a look - and accepts that this is just another thing out of her control.

She nods. J’onn nods back.

“Excellent. As soon as Kara is ready, we’ll move on to our next lesson,” J’onn says once Alex looks away.

Kara hurriedly finishes the last of her grapes, grinning when she’s done. “Ready!”

They proceed toward the heart of the fortress to an area Alex hasn’t seen yet.

They pass through an arched opening, and a large courtyard-like area is revealed. The metallic wall just opposite of them is plain and flat, mirroring the one behind them even with the same door position. The alternating side walls have ornate winding pillars and seating areas.

The courtyard itself is mostly smooth pale stone, though each corner is blanketed in bright healthy grass in a half moon shape. The floor is patterned with glimmering dark tiles that Alex comes to recognize form the shape of the sigil of the House of El. She imagines the symbol looks beautiful when the sun is perfectly positioned overhead.

Alex tries to hide her shock when J’onn reveals himself to be the teacher for this particular subject, but of course with his uniform color she should have known. Her dad would have figured that out right away.

“Let’s begin,” J’onn instructs.

Alex moves into position alongside Kara. Kara is new to these lessons as well, Alex finds when she accidentally moves a little too quickly and sends Kara sprawling out on her back.

Kara’s eyes well with tears, and Alex is at her side before J’onn can react. “Sorry, it was an accident,” she says as she rubs a soft hand over Kara’s head. She’s upset she’s hurt Kara even a little. “Are you alright?”

Though Kara’s lips wobble a time or two, she nods. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

Alex helps Kara up, ignoring J’onn as she adjusts Kara’s robes and rests her hands on the much smaller shoulders. “You okay to do more?”

“Yeah,” Kara says. A smile peeks out, and it’s like Kara was never upset.

Alex’s lips twitch in response, though she tries to remain serious. She needs to focus on these lessons so she won’t accidentally hurt Kara again.

“We’re ready,” Alex says when they turn back to face J’onn. She’s worried that he’ll be upset or annoyed, but he sends a serene look to both of them.

* * *

Days slip by in a blur of routine, and though Alex never forgets Midvale, the ache of missing home does start to lessen. She still misses her parents, but Midvale begins to feel less like home the more time she spends staring up at the stars with Kara and giggling over the silly constellation names her friend comes up with.

They have a small party when her sixth birthday comes around, though she’s informed she won't be able to see her parents like she’s hoped. The party is nothing like the one Kara had celebrated a month and a half before, but still Alex finds herself not in the mood for the tiny chocolate cake and two small tightly wrapped presents.

“I am sorry, Alex,” J’onn says in that unerringly patient voice. The sound makes her frustrated.

She doesn’t want J’onn to be sorry, she just wants to see her parents.

“I promise that I talked to my parents about it as much as I could,” Kara says when its clear that Alex’s mood hasn’t changed.

Alex softens. Kara’s time with her parents is rare as it is, and she’s humbled that Kara’s spent precious time trying to enlist the busy couple’s help. “I believe you,” Alex says in a low voice, “but I’m still upset.”

“Maybe I’ll come back later, give you some privacy,” J’onn says as he stands.

Alex spares him a half smile, appreciative that he respects her mood. She doesn’t throw tantrums, tries to remain on her best behavior, but she’s still human.

The phrase makes her pause when Kara reaches out and takes her hand. If she stares at their skin, she can’t tell that one of them is human and the other isn’t. She often wonders what truly makes a human beyond the physical. She hopes that maybe some day she’ll discover this in some lesson she’s maybe too young to understand now; she’s been told enough times that there are things she’ll understand when she’s older. She hopes so.

“Can we just read a book together or something?” Alex asks without looking at Kara. If she does nothing she’ll think, but she’s not in the mood to do much of anything.

“Sure,” Kara agrees as she stands to retrieve a portable projector and crystal.

They settle together on their bed, bent together over the crystal and tiny flat disc that will display the crystal’s contents.

Kara flicks through several options waiting for Alex to comment on a genre.

“Do you have any Earth books?” Alex asks tentatively after a few moments. She doesn’t expect much, published Earth books had become a true rarity after the Kryptonians had colonized Earth.

“This one sounds interesting,” Kara says. “ _The Little Prince_.”

Alex blinks and reads the excerpt carefully, searching for the date of publication. 1943. Only a handful of years after the Kryptonians had first settled on the planet - and just before they’d started their push from refugees to rulers.

That information hadn’t been learned at school, but through her father. “Let’s try that out,” Alex says.

They end up loving it, with Kara even wondering out loud if such a little prince ever did truly exist. Though Alex wants to point out that of course it’s just a story, part of her still hopes that he did - does. It’s not the last time they find themselves reading this particular story.

* * *

Alex is six years, two months, and four days old when J’onn interrupts them during dinner.

“Alex,” he says in a heavy voice, “I have some news.”

His demeanor even makes Kara, who’s been eating the remainder of Alex’s chicken, put down her utensils to stare up at their solemn mentor.

“What is it?” Alex says. There’s a riot in her stomach, making her wish she hadn’t already eaten.

J’onn hesitates and takes a seat next to her. The chair is just a few sizes too small for him, but he doesn't seem to care. “Alex, I’m sorry, but it’s about your father.”

Alex doesn’t hear much else of what he says after that, but she understands that her father is, in fact, dead.

Details don’t matter to her, all she knows is that her secret hope of getting to see him again one day is now truly and utterly impossible.

“Can I go to the funeral?” she asks stiffly. There’s no response, and when she looks up she sees that J’onn looks even more solemn than before.

“I’m sorry. Cirl-Nis has said that it happened several days ago, and it only just now occurred to him that no one had informed you.” J’onn looks upset for a moment before his face clears. He looks at her with concern.

Alex’s hands, which have been resting on her knees, tighten painfully. Idly she thinks she’s never heard J’onn use the phrase “I’m sorry” ever as much as he has in the last few minutes. She wonders if he thinks it helps - because to her, it doesn’t.

“With your permission I’d like to go back to your room now, Kara,” Alex says brusquely as she stands.

Kara gives her a wide-eyed look. Though their roles are distinct to outsiders, they’ve always treated each other as friends. It’s only their teachers and their occasional visitors that remind them that they’re not equals. Kara never makes her ask permission for anything.

“Of course,” Kara says. She sounds hurt and worried, but Alex doesn’t care.

J’onn doesn’t try to keep her from leaving, and when she’s alone in the large hallway she finds herself running to the lift. It takes her a few tries to get the sequence on the crystal right, and she’s taken aback when she realizes she’s crying. She hasn’t cried for a long time, not since her first month of staying here. She wipes away the moisture angrily, resolving not to do any more of _that_.

She’s done her best to be a model child, to be so good that surely she could earn a little time back with her parents. Maybe she isn’t supposed to miss them so much, but she can’t help it.

And now...well, now it doesn’t matter half as much as it did. She curls her arms tightly around herself when she makes it to Kara’s floor. The doors to the room open for her even though she’s scared they won’t, and she makes a beeline to a spot on the floor to one side of Kara’s bed.

The large windows reveal much of the night, even if it’s not quite dark enough for the stars to truly shine. There are several clearly visible, and she stares up at them and thinks of her father. She wonders what happened, why it happened - and with dawning realization she recognizes that now her mother is as alone as she is.

She isn’t sure how long she’s sitting there before a small body settles next to her own. Kara has sat far enough away that they’re not touching, but Alex feels her warmth all the same.

Alex can’t look at Kara, instead keeping her attention focused on the stars as the sky around them seems to darken.

“Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book,” Kara begins.

Alex stops breathing for a moment, her hands pressing into the hard floor. She doesn’t say anything, but as Kara reads on Alex finds herself unable to ignore the trickle of words.

She cries a little when the prince realizes he misses his flower, but when Kara reaches the end and the prince begins discussing the stars that’s when Alex finds herself unable to stop sobbing.

Her head curls onto Kara’s shoulder as she’s pulled into a hug. Kara stops reading, instead humming a low song that Alex isn’t sure she knows.

After a while the tears stop, and Alex hiccups a few times as the hug ends.

Kara gives her a watery smile, one of her arms still loosely around Alex.

Alex thinks she’ll say something, but instead Kara brings her free arm up and uses the sleeve to dry at Alex’s cheeks. The fabric is soft and Alex wants to tell Kara that she’ll ruin her coat, but instead she leans into the small comfort.

Kara grins, and when Alex catches sight of the gap in her smile where Kara’s had the misfortune of losing two teeth in a row, she giggles.

“What?” Kara looks confused, but happy to see Alex doing something other than crying.

Alex shakes her head and sniffles; Kara shrugs and tilts her head. It’s then that Alex realizes she was wrong - she isn’t alone, not like her mother is.

Because despite what everyone thinks, she and Kara are friends.

She swallows a few times before she turns back to the words the crystal is still projecting. “And at night I love to listen to the stars. It is like five hundred million little bells…”

As Alex reads, determined to finish the story, Kara holds her hand when her voice shakes. Though Alex did not choose to be where she is, she’s glad that such a place has given her Kara. She doubts she’ll be over the hurt of losing her father any time soon, but Kara’s hand in hers does soothe the pain - just a little.

* * *

The days following her father’s demise become ones of focus for Alex. She pushes herself harder through her studies, even going so far as to find an increased interest in Defensive Techniques.

She and Kara aren’t anywhere near advanced levels in hand-to-hand combat after only a year, but Alex does like the chance to do something more active.

Burning energy had been easier back in Midvale with a gaggle of kids always around to play with. Tag grows stale after a time of playing with the same two people.

“Very good, Alex,” J’onn says when she finishes her final lap around the large training area.

Her chest is heaving with effort, but she offers him a grim smile.

Kara comes along not soon after, grumbling under her breath as she stomps loudly over the imaginary finish line. “Alex,” she says between gasping breaths, “you cheated.”

Alex snorts, used to Kara’s complaints. “How? It’s not like I’ve got superpowers or anything.”

“You’re older; your legs are longer,” Kara manages to get out as she bends over and sucks in a deep breath. Though she sounds plaintive, she’s smiling when she straightens.

“Yeah, well, give it another few years. I already see a difference with the adjustments to your dampener.” Alex points to the flexible bracelet on Kara’s left wrist.

Kara fidgets with the accessory. “You really think so?”

Alex snorts again. “Yeah. It doesn’t matter. Once you get old enough and finish the Rite of Ascendance you’ll be kicking my butt without even trying.”

If Alex were speaking to anyone else she might feel bitter about the truth, but with Kara she can’t be. Kara has been extra nice since they’d learned about Jeremiah, not questioning Alex’s need to observe the stars more and especially not commenting the few times Alex has cried.

“Enough chatter,” J’onn interrupts, “you have forms to go through if you want to be dismissed for the day.”

Though Alex has grown to enjoy Defensive Techniques, she hurries along with Kara just the same. Her breathing steadies as she drops into the resting stance they’d been shown on their very first day.

The punches come first, firm and quick. She sidesteps and smoothly kicks, taking another step to release another set of punches. She’s proud when she keeps her center of gravity as she executes a chain of kicks; she’d had a growth spurt just before her birthday that had left her feeling a little more unsteady than before.

Out of the periphery she sees Kara keeping perfect time with her moves, and she tries not to smile when she thinks for the nth time that going through their forms is almost like dancing. She used to enjoy dancing with her father for celebrations; she’d place her feet on top of his as they bounced around the room. Her mother would laugh and cheer, always stealing her away to complete the dance before the song could finish.

Alex is glad that her forms are muscle memory now, because she doesn’t remember finishing. J’onn is nodding at them in approval though, a sign that they’re dismissed from lessons for the day.

She turns out of habit, a little dazed as she tries to shove the memory of her parents down and away.

Kara says something to J’onn, cheerful as always as she takes Alex’s hand. Alex lets herself be led away.

“Are you okay?” Kara asks the moment they’re out of earshot and traveling down the long hallway that will take them to their lift.

“No,” Alex whispers truthfully. “I can’t stop thinking about my dad. And my mom. Now she’s all alone.”

Kara inhales sharply. She understands the fear. Kara had been all alone up in her high tower before Alex had come - with no friends, a family that was often too busy to visit, and the only cousin even close to her age said he was much too old to be playing with toys.

“I’ll keep asking if you can see her,” Kara says even though the thought is terrifying. Not that she’s scared of her parents, but she _is_ scared of being all alone again.

* * *

Alex is exactly nine years old when she gets the opportunity to see her mother again.

Her palms are sweaty as she waits outside the room that Kara has arranged for the meet. After years of being denied access to her mother by the House of Nis for reasons Alex doesn’t understand, Kara’s aunt has finally negotiated Eliza Danvers out from under the care of Nis and under the protection of the House of Ze.

Eliza will only be in Argo City for a brief time - as part of the negotiation with the House of Nis, Eliza will be relocated to Kandor on the other side of the continent. Alex knows it has something to do with her mother’s research and House Nis not wanting local competition, or so they’ve said.

She’s changed a lot over the years, and she worries that her mother won’t recognize her. She brushes a hand through her now much shorter hair, wondering what she’d been thinking when she’d agreed to the unfamiliar style. Well, of course she’d been thinking her training would be easier, but now the once great idea seems stupid. Her mother is going to hate it.

“You’ll be fine,” Kara whispers. Her hand is resting on Alex’s shoulder in a show of support. She seems as nervous as Alex is. Alex wonders if she’s also regretting eating breakfast.

“Thanks,” Alex says as she gently squeezes Kara’s hand once. She waits a few beats and takes a last steadying breath before raising her hand and motioning for the door to open.

She looks back just once and receives an encouraging smile from Kara.

As the door closes behind her, she stumbles when she catches sight of her mother. Unlike the loose cotton garments Alex recalls from Midvale, her mother is in a variation of the beige uniform Alex is now long familiar with. Her mother’s differs in that she’s wearing a deep brown undershirt that bears the mark of Ze on the left arm with a beige vest and leggings. Alex isn’t sure what the difference in uniform means, but she pushes aside the thought for later.

Other than the clothing, Eliza looks just like Alex remembers. The lines around her eyes and mouth are deeper, but her blonde hair is still long and curly. Alex’s hands twitch when she remembers twisting her fingers in the golden locks when her mother would hold her in her lap and sing.

The warm blue eyes she once looked into every day seem more wary than she remembers - flicking restlessly around their surroundings - but Alex doesn’t care.She wants to rush forward and hug her mother immediately, but something makes her pause.

“Mom?”

The blue eyes jolt in her direction. Eliza tries to smile, but it doesn’t hold. “Alex.”

Alex takes a few cautious steps forward, her hand rising the closer she gets to her mother. Her hand begins to shake just before her fingers brush over the synthetic fibers of her mother’s uniform.

She tries not to be hurt when Eliza jerks away, but she is. “Mom?” she asks in a voice that threatens to break.

Again Eliza tries to force a smile. Her second attempt is better, though it wobbles between a smile and a grimace. “Alex,” she repeats hollowly.

“Mom, please. I’ve missed you,” Alex says. She steps forward and clasps her mother’s forearms with both hands, trying to find the woman she knows from memory.

Eliza twitches, slowly twisting her arms at first, but wrenching them away almost violently when Alex’s grip doesn’t loosen. “No. No, he died because of you.”

There’s a manic quality to the way Eliza speaks, and her eyes are uncommonly wide. Alex wonders what’s wrong with her. Surely _something_ must be wrong with her. Her mother loves her; Alex has never doubted that.

“Daddy died in an accident, not because of me.” Alex doesn’t move when her mother takes several steps back, pacing and shaking her head.

“That was no accident, Alexandra. You have taken everything from me. _Everything_.” The last is said in a whisper, but it makes Alex visibly flinch.

In all her considerations of this day, Alex had never expected a reaction like this. She wants to pretend this is a nightmare, but she knows it isn’t. Her memory of her mother fractures in her mind.

“Mom,” she tries one last time. Her eyes hurt and she feels like she’s taken a surprise hit to the gut, but she watches her mother’s face with a last bit of hope.

“Don’t call me that,” Eliza says coldly. “You’re a child of Krypton now.”

Something in Alex breaks, but instead of the tears she’s expected, fury rises in Alex like a tidal wave. “Like I had a choice,” Alex hisses.

Her jaw works from side to side as she grinds her teeth, turning on her heel before her mother can say anything else. She rushes out of the room and past a startled Kara and doesn’t stop until she’s found her way to the training area.

There’s some training dummies she and Kara have begun using situated toward the back of the open area, and Alex shouts as she begins furiously punching and kicking at one such unfortunate object.

She tires after a while and stares at the mostly undamaged wood. Her arms and hands haven’t fared half as well.

“Alex, what happened?” Kara asks quietly.

Alex sucks in a breath and closes her eyes. Of course Kara had followed her. They’re rarely apart when they don’t have to be.

Part of Alex stubbornly doesn’t want to share, but the rest of her knows that Kara is the one person in the world she can totally trust. The words come out in a broken stutter at first, but anger helps the painful tale come forth.

As soon as the last furious word is spoken, Kara rushes forward and pulls her into a hug. Alex is still so enraged that she wants to push Kara away, but Kara is soft and warm and familiar. Alex buries her head against the white of Kara’s shoulder.

They shouldn’t be standing here, not like this, not where any Kryptonian might come along and witness this horrible display of disrespectful contact - but Alex can’t care when her heart is broken and her last shred of hope that some day she could reclaim her family is destroyed. Kara is her friend.

“We’ll get to the bottom of this,” Kara says fiercely.

Alex’s nod is weak. “Yeah.” She holds Kara close and tries to forget anything outside of their small bubble exists.

“I’m taking you to the healers for these bruises; J’onn will be upset with you if he sees them.” Kara’s voice wobbles as she speaks, and Alex understands that _she’s_ upset about them.

“Sorry,” Alex whispers. Kara just holds her tighter.

* * *

Later that afternoon the duo is surprised when a newly promoted General Ze shows up for their Defensive Techniques lesson.

“You’re coming to an important branch of these lessons,” General Ze says with a straight back and solemn face. “As you’ve learned, knowledge is power. That isn’t just true for science, agriculture, and matters of civil affairs. That is why from now onward, J’onn will be instructing you in armed combat. Handling these weapons will give you a better understanding of how to defend against them.”

Kara and Alex are left in awe when Astra raises a crystal and a large panel on the wall shifts to reveal a plethora of weaponry.

“For now, you’ll start with these,” J’onn says as he tugs two plain wooden swords out from the bottom left corner of the panel. They’re nearly as long as Kara is tall, but neither Alex nor Kara are afraid of a challenge.

Alex is nervous when Kara’s aunt remains and watches them practice, but after a time she loses herself in the new instruction. It’s exactly what she needs after the heart-shattering confrontation with her mother.

Her hands are numb from the slap of sword against sword by the time J’onn calls a halt to the lesson, but Alex doesn’t mind. Kara subtly winces once she drops her weapon.

Alex immediately steps forward and grabs her hand, worried that she’s somehow hurt Kara. A popped blister is revealed to be the culprit of Kara’s discomfort.

Alex frowns. Kara’s dampener has been altered enough that a blister forming would take quite a bit of effort. “Why didn’t you say something?”

Kara shrugs and smiles. “You weren’t ready to quit.”

“Kara…” Alex can’t speak. She knows this isn’t Kara being competitive, but rather supportive. Alex wonders how Kara can always be so selfless, especially when the rest of the world considers Alex a pet.

Alex is exactly nine years old when she realizes that even though she’s lost her blood family, Kara is all the family she needs. She wonders if maybe that’s what her mother had seen when she’d looked at Alex; a reflection of Kara’s devotion.

Alex doesn’t know if that makes her more Kryptonian, or Kara more human. The difference between the two still puzzle her.

“Come on, let’s get those fixed up,” J’onn says as he tugs Kara away.

It isn’t until Alex has totally lost sight of Kara that Alex realizes that she’s not alone.

“I apologize for today,” General Ze says when it’s clear she’s been noticed.

Alex does her best to keep her breathing steady. Kryptonian nobles never apologize to human servants. “I’m not sure what you mean,” she says when the pause makes it apparent the general is waiting for a response.

“Your mother. Unfortunately the House of Nis was engaging her in a rather dangerous line of research, and I’m certain long-term exposure to certain...elements, has altered her brain chemistry.” Astra paces a few steps closer, examining Alex’s face for any reaction.

There is none, at least not that Alex allows. J’onn has taught her much.

Astra nods to herself. “Your mother is under my protection now, and though some might balk at the use of resources, I will see that her condition is studied and treated. Now, there is one last thing, Alexandra.”

“Yes, General Ze?” Alex asks with a straight face even though the use of her full name makes her insides twist uncomfortably.

“You were chosen to be Kara’s companion because you excelled beyond average human intellect. You’ve done well over the years, and you’re advancing exceptionally well. Your studies are important, but keep in mind that few companions are allowed to remain with their Kryptonian counterparts once the Rite of Ascendance is completed.”

Alex swallows. She knows Kara’s aunt is right, but she’s not sure why she’s being told this. “I’m aware.”

Astra moves to stand directly in front of her, her form towering over Alex and making Alex feel much younger than her nine years. “My niece is very dear to me. I want her to be happy. Make sure that you keep up with _all_ of your lessons. The work I’ve seen today is very promising.”

And suddenly Alex understands. The only way humans have been allowed to remain by the sides of their human companions are through total devotion; either as personal bodyguards or body servants.

Her cheeks flush at the thought of keeping Kara company at night in a completely different way than she does now, and she internally curses at the curiosity that had made her look up the duties of a body servant. A bodyguard would be her best chance.

“Thank you, General Astra,” she says as she offers a respectful bow.

Kara is her family, the only person in the world she can fully trust. She won’t be torn away from her.

Alex waits until General Astra leaves to pick up her wooden sword again, moving over to face one of the wooden training dummies.

The first few swings are painful, but Alex doesn’t care. She’s already lost too much. All thoughts of her mother are pushed aside and buried.

Kara is her family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks go out to my betas Cherry and Kit for looking this over.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for not responding to your comments this last chapter, but I've been in a little bit of a funk. Know that I've read every single one, and I appreciate every single one. I've just been stressed with rl things, and by the time I considered responding to your comments there was already a lot and the thought of responding to them was a little overwhelming.
> 
> Some answers to questions:  
> Kal is older just because that's how I wanted to write it.  
> No, Kara did not have another companion before Alex.
> 
> Non-answer:  
> The specifics to Alex and Kara's situation will eventually come to light - why Kara has been raised in this specific way, how Krypton took over Earth, etc. All in good time, there's a lot of time jumps still to get to where I want to be for the main story.

* * *

Kara is eleven years old when she has her first grand party in which all noble Houses are invited to join. Alex is allowed to come simply because Alura-Ze has trouble refusing her daughter anything - and Zor-El is hardly any better. Kara is exceptionally ecstatic when both parents take most of the day off to spend time with her before the party.

While they’re busy, a large hall that has seen little use over the years is furnished with appropriate furniture to receive guests. A large part of the hall’s brilliant shimmering floor is sectioned off for dancing. Though used to the unique Kryptonian style, Alex is distracted by the ornate white crystal sculptures strategically arranged around the perimeter that contrast perfectly with the dark walls.

When the guests arrive, it’s the first time in a long time that Alex has seen so many colors other than black and white in the Fortress of El - especially gathered in one spot. There’s greys of the science guild, blues of the judiciary guild, and the emerald of civil affairs. Sometimes she even catches glimpses of the cyan of the healers she’s rarely seen outside of the medical wing.

She blinks and notes that a scion from the Great House of Var is approaching Kara. The brown of his garb is unflattering despite the fashionable cut of the formal coat, and his slicked back hair is clumped together to resemble spikes. Kara has said numerous times that she finds people from the agricultural guild rather boring, and Alex has to hide her smile at the boy’s approach.

“Kara-El ,” the boy says with a formal bow, “if it would please you, I would like to invite you to dance when the music commences.”

Kara stares at him in confusion. Though an expert at Kryptonian etiquette, she’s still not used to people her own age addressing her so formally. Her time with Alex has spoiled her.

Alex coughs discreetly into a raised fist, and Kara suddenly straightens. “I would be honored,” Kara says.

The boy smiles and retreats.

The moment he’s lost in the crowd Kara turns to Alex. “Do you know his name?” she whispers with wide eyes.

Alex’s lips twitch as she shakes her head no. Kara looks mildly panicked and Alex smiles. “If you like I could find out for you. No one pays attention to me in this color,” she supplies helpfully.

“Oh would you? That would be so great!” Kara says brightly. She reaches out to squeeze Alex’s arm in appreciation, but Alex artfully dodges the gesture.

“Kara, remember yourself in public,” Alex admonishes her delicately.

Kara purses her lips in an attempt not to laugh. She finds the rules in regards to human companions silly, only following them in an effort to humor Alex.

Alex sighs and shakes her head as she walks away. Of course Kara doesn’t understand it, insulated as she is by the protection of her House name. Alex has been afforded some of that protection, but she’s noticed more critical looks and comments the older she’s gotten.

Though this is Kara’s own first large party, it’s not the first one either of them has been to. Alex moves adroitly through the crowds of old and young alike as she searches for her quarry. She’s grateful for the training that has kept her from becoming uncomfortable in her growing body as she gracefully avoids a servant bearing an armful of trays.

A spot of brown in a sea of color catches Alex’s eye, and she maneuvers carefully to a nearby table of food so that she appears to be retrieving a snack for Kara.

“--elieve she brought her pet? My mother was scandalized,” a girl in blue says to a small group of friends.

The boy in brown smirks and crosses his arms. “My mother says Zor-El spoils her too much.”

“Yeah, well, _your_ mother talks too much. I guess that’s where you get it from, Tor,” a dark haired girl in purple snipes back in an almost bored tone.

Alex likes the unknown girl from an arts guild family instantly, but not enough to linger past her appointed mission. She doesn’t have much patience for Kryptonian nobles and their gossip. She snags a few snacks she thinks Kara will like on the way back, pushing the snarky commentary away from her mind.

“His name is Tor-Var,” Alex says without preamble as she holds out the selections she’s picked up for Kara.

“Apple dumplings,” Kara says in hushed voice as she retrieves the treats. It’s not until she’s eaten two that she remembers what Alex said. “Hm? Oh, right. Tor-Var.”

“Should be easy to remember with that hairstyle of his,” Alex supplies, “since it _does_ make me think of a Torquat.”

Kara chuckles and coughs, sending Alex an offended look as she struggles not to choke on the last of the apple dumplings. “You’re the worst,” she says to Alex with a large smile on her face.

Alex ducks into a small bow. “As you say, Great Scion.”

Though she’s ready for some form of retaliation, the pinch low on her back catches her unawares. She jerks to the side and bumps into someone.

“My apologies,” she starts as she turns to address the unfortunate victim of her surprise.

“Kal!” Kara says brightly as she looks up at her much taller cousin. He looks dashing in blue.

Kal-El grins at her, his white teeth gleaming. He puts his fists on his hips. “You’re eleven already? And look how you’ve grown!”

He stretches his arms out moments later to pick Kara up and into a hug, making Kara giggle in delight.

Alex looks away to hide her own smile, immediately catching sight of Kal’s companion.

Lois Lane is familiar to Alex, having run into her many times over the years. Alex’s cheeks warm when she remembers that, technically, Lois isn’t Kal’s companion anymore and hasn’t been for nearly as long as Alex _has_ been Kara’s companion.

It doesn’t surprise her that Kal didn’t want to let Lois go after his Rite of Ascendance - Lois is the smartest, toughest, most beautiful woman Alex has ever met. Alex just doesn’t know how to address Lois when she can’t help wondering what it’s like to be a body servant.

“Hey, Kid,” Lois says with a wink when she catches Alex’s attention.

Alex straightens and brings up her chin. “I’m almost twelve, you know.”

“Oh, I know. I’m planning on coming by with a small present for you on your birthday.” Lois tilts her head, smiling when Alex’s eyes widen.

“Really?” Alex is excited. She’s never made many friends around the Fortress of El, but she’s always admired Lois.

“Really,” Kal cuts in. He seems more relaxed than Alex has ever remembered seeing him. She wonders if it has something to do with more time having passed since his Rite, or if it’s something else entirely. All she knows is he’s not the same brooding boy that would get annoyed when Kara would beg him to play.

Lois offers him an affectionate smile. Alex thinks maybe it’s Lois that’s changed Kal.

Kal sets Kara down and wiggles his eyebrows at Lois in some form of silent communication. Lois rolls her eyes. Alex is fascinated - especially when Kal steps back and takes Lois’s hand in his.

Alex tries very hard not to react, but she can almost _feel_ the looks of the astonished Kryptonians around her.

“Wanna dance, Handsome?” Lois asks, quirking a challenging brow at Kal.

He only grins and inclines his head, extending his arm to the clear dance floor.

“But there’s no music,” Kara says with a small frown as Kal and Lois turn away.

There’s a whole lot more wrong with the moment besides the music, Alex thinks. Her eyes are glued to Kal and Lois as they walk proudly to the dance floor with their heads high and their hands entwined as if they don’t have a care in the world.

Kal and Lois take up their positions of one of the more popular dances, ignoring the hushed voices around them. Alex thinks it’s kind of incredible, the way they look at each other.

“They’re beautiful,” Kara whispers as they both watch the duo gracefully move around the empty dance floor.

Their silent awe is disrupted as more and more unpleasant murmurs rise in the crowd. Alex can hear phrases like “disrespectful”, “dangerous”, “an insult to all of New Krypton” reverberate in the hall.

Kara frowns and glares around them. “They shouldn’t say those kinds of things about Kal and Lois,” she mumbles.

Alex only has the barest second of warning before her hand is grabbed and she’s being forcefully pulled through the assembled onlookers. “Kara, no. What are you doing?” she hisses as Kara leads them unflinchingly to the dance floor.

But Kara’s smile is wide and her eyes are light when they finally reach the dance floor, and she tilts her head in a way that makes Alex stop and stare.

“Dancing,” Kara says as she carefully takes Alex’s other hand in her own.

On any other day at any other time, Alex would pull away and sternly remind Kara that the world is a difficult place and that their friendship isn’t for public consumption. On any other day Alex would feel the disapproval of a hundred plus guests like daggers to her skin. This isn’t any other day, however.

Today is Kara’s birthday, and there’s a certain kind of magic in the air that Alex can’t quite explain. Her first few steps are tentative, but she catches sight of Kal and Lois out of the corner of her eye.

Lois grins at her, and Alex flushes. She makes a point to concentrate on Kara and the dance after that, but that doesn’t prove difficult. Kara looks like the happiest person on Earth, and for a while Alex forgets everything but how blue her best friend’s eyes are.

They stop dancing when Kal and Lois do, and Alex has to swallow hard when her awareness of the crowd comes rushing back. She’s self conscious holding Kara’s hand, but she doesn’t pull away.

“Kal-El,” a voice booms from the crowd, “is it really necessary to turn your cousin’s birthday party into a political statement?”

“Scandalous,” another voice echoes, “and look what kind of influence you’re forcing upon young Kara.”

“That’s enough,” a third voice booms, and this is one that Alex knows well from sit ins on the council she and Kara have been forced to endure as part of their lessons. “The young people are just having fun,” Jor-El projects effortlessly as he takes up a position on the dance floor.

He looks regal in an expertly tailored gray uniform, the blue of his scarf and cloak reminding all present of his many and varied interests. “It is I that would ask _you_ to not make this party about politics.” Jor-El is smiling, but there’s an underlying warning in his tone as he addresses the crowd.

There’s grudging murmurs of agreement. Jor-El nods and turns, and Alex catches sight of the pointed look he sends Kal’s way.

Alex smirks when Kal makes a point of crooking his arm so Lois can be properly escorted from the floor. Lois gives him a wink before grasping his elbow. “Your cousin is kinda cool.”

“Yeah, he is,” Kara says a moment before she crooks her elbow at Alex.

Heat rises to Alex’s cheeks, and she turns on her heel. “I’m not doing that,” she says over her shoulder as she hurries to try and lose herself in the crowd of guests. She passes General Ze, who looks like she’s feeling something between amusement and disapproval, and ducks her head down.

“What? Why?” Kara asks as she tries to catch up.

*****

It takes the better part of a week for Alex to make Kara understand why she’d been so embarassed the night of Kara’s birthday celebration. Alex had blushed every time Kara brought it up until at last, finally, Kara understood.

“Oh,” Kara says as her own cheeks tinge pink. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.”

Alex shifts her weight on her feet uncomfortably. She can’t look at Kara. “Yeah, well, now you have. So let’s agree not to do that again.”

Kara is quiet, and curiosity makes Alex glance her way.

There’s a thoughtful expression on Kara’s face. “Would you want to do that though?”

“Do what?” Alex blurts out with wide eyes. She’s explained that it’s unseemly for them to act too intimately in public - especially considering the differences between their relationship and Kal and Lois’s.

“Be a body servant,” Kara says. She’s seated comfortably on the floor, her back resting against her bed.

Alex doesn’t understand how Kara can be so nonchalant about the matter. She makes a high pitched noise in her throat, wondering at Kara’s sudden fascination with the subject. “Kara, do you know what body servants _do_?”

“Of course, Alex. I read the same books you do. But _we_ wouldn’t have to do those kinds of things if we didn’t want to. Kal never makes Lois do anything she doesn’t want to do,” Kara says matter-of-factly.

The thought makes Alex pause because she’s not sure how _anyone_ could make Lois ever do anything she doesn’t want to do. Alex knows Lois had been lucky to get Kal as a companion, just as Alex had been lucky to get Kara. She can recall some things she witnessed back in Midvale when she was younger that she’s glad Kara has never been exposed to, especially now that Alex has a better understanding of what she’d seen.

“I don’t want to cause any trouble. I’ll just become your bodyguard,” Alex replies.

Kara frowns at her. “I don’t want you to get hurt, you can be my body servant.”

“Yeah? Well I don’t want _you_ to get hurt. I’ll be your bodyguard,” Alex snaps back. She crosses her arms and sends Kara a dark glare.

“Are you kidding? After I complete the Rite _nothing_ will be able to hurt me and I’ve already got a bunch of Kryptonian shadows following me almost all the time.” Kara crosses her arms and glares back just as hard.

Alex snorts. “Are you sure you’ve been reading the same books as me? We both know there _are_ ways to hurt Kryptonians. What if someone whips out some Kryptonite, huh? What are you and all your Kryptonian bodyguards gonna do then?”

She doesn’t realize her hands are clenched and she’s taken several steps forward until she stops speaking. Her expression softens just a little when she realizes she’s towering over Kara. “I don’t want to lose you.”

Kara grunts as she gets up and straightens until she’s standing toe to toe with Alex. The strained expression of her anger is gone as she carefully examines Alex’s face. “I don’t want to lose you either, Alex.”

Alex releases a breath she’s been holding and brings a hand up to rest on Kara’s shoulder. “And you won’t, I promise. I’m not going anywhere after your Rite.”

“I’m going to remember that you promised that,” Kara says before she reaches for Alex and pulls her into a hug.

“So will I,” Alex confirms as she closes her eyes and ducks her head alongside Kara’s. Kara’s squeezing just a little too tight but Alex doesn’t mind. She doesn’t like when they fight. She’ll remind Kara about her increased strength again later.

“I don’t know what I would do without you,” Kara whispers. “I love you.”

Alex squeezes her eyes shut tighter, unable to explain the sudden tautness in her chest. “I love you too.”

* * *

The day Alex turns twelve J’onn graciously gives them the day off from their studies.

“On Mars, parents would take their children to a sacred set of caves at a certain age where they would reflect on the years behind them - and the many ahead.” J’onn pauses, an odd look flashing on his face before disappearing. “I took great joy in celebrating this tradition with my eldest daughter.”

“You have children?” Kara asks before she can stop herself.

The odd look returns, this time lingering. Alex is stricken; J’onn looks like he might want to cry.

“Not anymore,” J’onn says.

There’s a silence then, heavy and solemn that makes Alex want to hug J’onn. She doesn’t. She’s never comforted anyone other than Kara, and she’s not sure if such a gesture would be rebuffed.

Kara, however, has no such qualms.

“I can’t imagine your loss,” Kara says as she slides her arms around his torso.

Alex smiles even though she kind of feels like crying too. J’onn looks much the same as she feels, a wistful smile on his face as he gently pats Kara’s head. Kara squeezes him once before ending the hug and stepping back.

“I lost them long ago.” He sends Alex a regretful look. “I apologize, Alex. I know this is your day.”

“No,” Alex says thickly, “no, that’s alright. I always enjoy your stories; I’m only sorry that today reminded you of a sad one.”

“It’s...bittersweet, but I wouldn’t say sad. I brought it up because I thought maybe you might like to try the ceremony, Alex. You’re around the right age.” The painful sheen is gone from J’onn’s eyes as he speaks, leaving only his smile.

Alex’s lips part. She’d listened carefully to what J’onn had said, and the meaning of the offer isn’t lost to her. She feels a surge of love and respect well in her chest. “If you’re sure that’s okay, then I would be glad to.”

Part of her worries that J’onn doesn’t really understand what it is he’s given her - he’s the closest thing to a parent she’s had since she was five years old - or what it means to her.

As if reading her mind, and she knows he hasn’t because he promised never to do so without permission, J’onn grins. “Any man would be proud to call you his daughter.” He sends Kara a glance. “Either of you.”

When Kara rushes in to hug him, Alex is only a half a step behind.

J’onn laughs as they both try to squeeze him with all their might.

Alex is glad that she can hide her face for a few moments. She doesn’t want him to see her cry.

“Come on,” J’onn coaxes as the hug lingers, “I’ve only been approved for a few hours with you both away from the fortress, and we have to bring an entire detachment of guards.”

Both Alex and Kara pull back, excited at the prospect of some time away from the fortress.

“Can we eat breakfast first?” Kara asks as they wander out to the hallway.

J’onn laughs again. “Of course, but let’s hurry.”

* * *

It’s afternoon by the time they return to the Fortress of El, but Alex couldn’t be happier.

J’onn had taken her and Kara to a beautiful cave with ornate stalactites of white marble that made Alex envision a large system of frozen underground waterfalls.

_The cave is dark, but J’onn has no problem guiding them through it. After walking for several minutes Alex’s eyes adjust, and just off in the distance she spots a chamber that is noticeably lighter. They head straight to it._

_They end up settling in front of a pool of water that, with a lone hole overhead to let in sunlight, seems to glow a vibrant sapphire._

_Kara remains quiet as J’onn instructs Alex in a low voice on the phases of meditation for the ceremony. He asks her about her memories: good, bad, and the worst. With his voice keeping her company, she begins to relive each in her mind._

_“The point of this ceremony isn’t to keep old hurts alive,” J’onn says during a particularly difficult remembrance of her parents, “but to learn to let go of that which has already happened that we cannot change. We must face our past in order to make peace with it. I’ll show you.”_

_After he speaks, the water in front of them begins to stir and tremble. A single stream starts pouring upward, followed by another. They twist round and round each other as they rise before forming a smooth flat circle of water in the air._

_Images flash in the blue: hungry flames and large vicious beasts that make the ground tremble as they maraud through a peaceful village. Alex feels like her heart is going to leap up out of her chest when she sees the destruction both flame and monster have wrought, especially when the vision focuses on two very small and still forms that look far too much like J’onn to be a coincidence._

_The images begin to fade. Alex takes J’onn’s hand without looking as the water begins dripping down like large tears._

_“Though it is impossible to forget a great tragedy, it is not impossible to recover from it. It will burn and ache sometimes like a poorly healed wound, but over time you will find that where there was only pain, joy may grow.”_

_The water collects again, and the images that come after that make Alex cry happy tears because they’re all about her and Kara. There’s the day she and Kara had first started training with J’onn, followed by the first time Alex had managed to catch Kara by surprise with a leg sweep despite Kara’s superior speed. The final image is simply her and Kara laughing as they lie sprawled out on the floor after a clumsy tumble._

_Alex nods and takes a deep breath, comforted by J’onn’s hand and Kara’s continued presence. She doesn’t have to speak of her worst moments aloud, but she knows J’onn understands._

_After a while they focus on the future and her goals, and Alex is content as they leave the cave - partly from J’onn’s guidance, and partly from the long hug Kara had insisted on the moment Alex had completed the ceremony._

“Did it help?” Kara asks the moment they’re alone.

Alex is quiet as she considers the emotional toil of her day. “Yeah, I think so.”

Some of her memories are still heavy, she can feel their weight in her mind, but unlike before she doesn’t have to shy away from them for fear of losing control. She doubts she’ll ever _truly_ be over some of them, particularly ones involving her parents, but the gentle hope she’s admonished herself for feeling about her future is brighter than ever before.

Her control over her own life is limited, but today Alex believes that it’s enough for her to shape her future in exactly the way she needs.

“Good,” Kara says, breaking Alex from her reverie with another hug.

“Kara,” Alex gasps out, “remember they decreased the suppression on your dampener by another four percent.”

“Sorry!” Kara’s grip loosens, but she doesn’t let go.

Alex laughs and lets herself just enjoy the hug.

There’s a soft chime that makes them pull apart, and then the large doors to Kara’s room are opened.

“Kal!” Kara cries out happily when she spots her cousin. She scampers over to him for a hug when he exclaims “Kara!” with an equal amount of enthusiasm.

“Happy Birthday,” Lois says loudly to be heard over the rambunctious cousins’ effusive greetings.

Alex grins when Lois moves an arm from behind her back to reveal a small pinkish cake that just might be strawberry - Alex’s favorite.

“Thank you,” Alex says.

As Kara and Kal settle down and J’onn rejoins them holding a small wrapped bundle, Alex thinks this just might be her best birthday yet.

* * *

The night of Kara’s thirteenth birthday she and Alex sneak out after Kara’s finished with her last party obligation of publicly thanking her guests.

“Are you sure this is alright?” Alex asks as they sneak down darkened corridors. Her eyes roam their surroundings, wary of being caught.

“We both know none of those people need me around to have a good time at the party,” Kara says as she leads the way. She’s pulling Alex along by the hand because she wants to be sure Alex doesn’t try slipping away.

Alex doesn’t respond. She knows Kara’s upset that her parents were too busy to make it to the party this year, and she doesn’t know what to say or do to make Kara feel better - so she lets herself be led.

“Hey, are we…?” she asks in a hushed whisper when they stop in front of a set of plain large doors that are very familiar to her.

Kara smiles back at her before pushing the doors open.

The training area is unlike Alex has seen it before, awash in the cool tones of the nearly full moon. Her eyes are drawn to the floor where the dark emblem of the House of El that’s carved into it sparkles like a small galaxy of trapped stars under the cerulean light.

“Perfect,” Kara says. Alex can hear the smile in her voice.

They step out across the stone still holding hands, and Kara helpfully points to the center of the large floor. Alex removes her outer coat when it’s clear that Kara intends to lie down, plumping the garment so Kara can use it as a pillow.

“You don’t have to do that, you know,” Kara says with a sigh as she sits and gestures to the coat.

Alex shrugs. “I know, but I want to. You’re not invulnerable yet, _Princess_.”

Kara releases a full laugh that echoes around the courtyard, making Alex smile. She’d grown fond of using the nickname after reading a particular book. Technically speaking, Alex argues, Kara _is_ the equivalent of a princess in Kryptonian culture.

“You’ll get cold without your coat,” Kara says when her laughter has tapered down to an amused smile.

“I’m fine,” Alex retorts as she reclines until she’s looking directly up at the stars, one arm under her head as a cushion. The stone is hard and cold, but she won’t complain.

There’s a low rustle of fabric and then Kara’s lying next to her.

“Here,” Kara intones as Alex’s torso is suddenly covered with a blue-white fabric.

Alex is startled to realize that Kara has removed the outer later to her formal robe to use as a blanket. “Kara,” she says plaintively when she feels the bare skin of Kara’s arm brush hers - enough so that she feels Kara’s shiver like it’s her own.

“You’re right, this won’t work.”

Alex is mollified until Kara adds, “Lift your head up” to her previous statement.

Kara’s hand is reaching for her head so Alex rolls it to the side reflexively.

“Okay,” Kara says.

Alex returns to her previous position, grumpy when she realizes her coat is now under her head.

“Kara--” She stops speaking abruptly when the weight of Kara’s head settles on her shoulder, and Alex reflexively moves her arm to allow her friend to get more comfortable. An arm settles around her waist after Kara’s robe is rearranged so it’s tucked snugly around the both of them.

“This is better.” Kara sighs softly and snuggles just a little closer.

And Alex can’t argue because she certainly feels much warmer than she did before. Her heart is pounding for some inexplicable reason that she tells herself is probably due to her fear of being caught. “The stars are very bright tonight,” she says in lieu of commenting on their position.

“They are.”

The silence that settles then is peaceful, but after a while an odd feeling begins to creep up on Alex. “Lois spoke to me today at the party.”

“I know. I saw. What did she say?” Kara asks after a beat.

“Kal-El is really pressing the council on the Human Rights Assertion. It’s looking like it actually might pass.” Alex tries to keep herself relaxed as she speaks on the subject, but she doubts she’s successful.

Kara’s arm tightens around her. “On the one hand I very much want that Assertion to pass, but on the other…”

Alex swallows and nods. Kal-El has been pushing hard for the last year and a half for humans to be freed from their forced servitude, partly because he cares greatly for the humans in his life, but mostly because under current law he can’t legally join with Lois Lane.

Though Alex has little control of her life, the thought of real, actual freedom is terrifying. She’s only allowed to be so close to Kara because they’re bound to her by servitude - if she’s freed, would she still be able to remain by Kara’s side? She doubts it. The House of El would need to lead by example if the Assertion were to pass, and neither Zor-El nor Jor-El would allow any servants to remain in a position where it might seem they were being forced to stay.

“I know,” Alex says in a low voice.

“No matter what happens, I know we can find some way to stay together,” Kara says in a tone that’s dampened by fear despite her attempt at confidence.

“I hope so.” Alex’s voice is flat and it’s apparent she’s feeling anything but hope.

Kara holds her tighter and then sits up. She stares down at Alex until Alex looks her way. “But Alex, you promised,” she says softly.

Alex looks at her, absorbing the moment and the desperation of it. She never thought they’d be forced to part _before_ Kara’s Rite. “I’ll try my best to figure something out, Kara.”

She ignores the glimmer of tears in Kara’s eyes as Kara curls back into her side, but when moisture soaks through her undershirt she holds Kara closer.

Alex realizes that she’ll do anything to be able to stay by Kara’s side. She can’t trust anyone else to look after Kara, not when everyone else around her always seems to forget Kara’s existence until Kara’s needed for some function. She won’t fail Kara.

She reaches up with her free hand to smooth over Kara’s cheek, effectively brushing the tears away. Kara’s hand covers hers before she can pull away.

They fall asleep looking at the stars.

* * *

Alex is fourteen years, three weeks, and four days old when the Human Rights Assertion passes. She’s stayed late working her way through exercises with various weapons in the training area, and she’s perspiring heavily by the time she realizes she has company.

Not Kara, like she’d originally thought - Kara is no doubt avidly waiting for final word from the council.

“General Ze,” Alex says as she replaces two short swords on the wall, “to what do I owe this honor?”

“Alex Danvers, I’ve come to tell you the Human Rights Assertion has passed unanimously, and by tomorrow evening you will be moved from the Fortress of El back to Midvale until the council can decide on compensation for your years of service,” Astra says formally.

The lead that’s weighed heavily in Alex’s gut all day suddenly seems a thousand times worse. “I have to leave?” she asks even though she knows the answer.

“I’m afraid so.”

Alex looks up - it almost sounds like the general actually regrets the answer. Astra Ze, High General of the Kryptonian Army, looks immaculate in her dark uniform. More than that, she looks like she has something more to say.

“Is there something you’re not telling me?” Alex combs a hand through her sweaty hair, focused intently on Astra’s face.

General Ze smiles and takes a few steps closer. “What would you do to remain by my niece’s side?”

“Anything,” Alex says without hesitation.

General Ze’s smile widens. “Good. We must move quickly before they know what’s happened. Until tomorrow morning when the Assertion is publicly announced for all of New Krypton, we have time.”

Alex’s heart threatens to leap out of her chest as they begin walking. “What will I have to do?”

Astra pauses at the threshold that leads back into the fortress. “Willingly commit your life to the service of the House of El through its special military division.” She pauses and gives Alex a measured look. “Are you willing to do _anything_ for her, Alex?”

Alex’s throat works as she tries to swallow around a lump that has suddenly formed - Astra’s gaze is piercing. She takes a deep breath and straightens her back. “Yes.”

The look of approval she receives doesn’t make her feel any better. They begin walking again.

“Then you shall be trained as an assassin,” Astra says.

Alex’s heart lurches, but she doesn’t stop walking.

She has a promise to keep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So last chapter someone asked me to put a warning when there would be Clark/Lois, but I'm not going to be tagging the pairing and unfortunately for that person Clark/Lois plays a rather key role in this story. Assume from here on out that there will probably at least be mentions/references of them as a pairing in every chapter, and if that doesn't suit you then that's unfortunate.
> 
> I won't change how I've constructed this, and I won't be altering their role in this. Clark/Lois are important to me both as a pairing and as individuals, and I'm not hindered by the same constraints with their familial ties with Kara like the show is. There won't be anything *graphic* between Clark/Lois here, so at least there's that. =p

* * *

The world falls from around Kara the moment she receives the message from Kal confirming that the Assertion has passed with full council approval. He’s ecstatic and she can see that in the short message he’s left for her. She wants to be happy for him - she _is_ happy for all the people that will be freed from the forced servitude - but the thought of being separated from Alex is almost more than she can bear.

“Rao, help me find a way,” she whispers as she stares down at the crystal display. Suddenly restless, she stands and begins pacing the length of her room.

She wants to go find Alex immediately, wondering if her friend is still trying to burn off excess energy in the training courtyard. Kara suddenly feels like maybe this is a good idea since she suddenly has far too much energy herself.

Kara has scarcely gone a few steps outside of her room when she sees the lift arrive carrying Alex and - her aunt?

“Alex,” she says as she jogs toward the lift, “the Assertion has passed. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Alex meets her halfway and Kara immediately wraps her up into a hug. She feels a temporary relief in having Alex with her now, though she knows it won’t last.

“I know what’s going to happen,” Alex whispers next to her ear.

Kara pulls back, confused but interested. “You do?”

Alex stares at her, hazel eyes tracing her features as if to memorize them. “I have to go away for a while.”

“No, you can’t. You promised.” Kara’s voice hitches, but she can’t help it. Alex _can’t_ leave. She looks up at Alex with stinging eyes, wanting more than anything for her to be wrong.

“It’s only for a little while,” Alex whispers. “If I do this now, _no_ one will be able to make me leave you again.”

And Kara knows this is difficult for Alex; though Alex is the most important person in her life, she knows that Alex feels the same way about her - only Alex doesn’t have the luxury of having family the way Kara does.

It’s then that her aunt speaks up. “The council is announcing the Assertion tomorrow. At that time all servants will be relocated the nearest human towns that have space so that a system of compensation can be put into place. That could take some time, but the humans will be provided for. Unfortunately, former servants will not be able to be employed working directly under their former caretakers until such a time as the council has fully investigated that working conditions won’t cause undue stress to them.”

“T-they’ll take you to Midvale? You don’t have anyone left there!” Kara feels like she can’t breathe; she’s sat in enough times on the council to know that level of reorganization could take _years_ to complete, and several more to fully execute. The idea would be bearable if Kara could be sure that Alex would be happy and safe, and if she were allowed to visit Midvale to see to that herself, but such visits are forbidden until she’s undergone the Rite of Ascension.

“I’m not going to Midvale,” Alex says as she gently squeezes Kara’s shoulders.

“She’s going to make a vow to the military guild tonight,” Aunt Astra says.

Kara’s head jerks to face her aunt. “She’s only _fourteen_! She can’t join the military guild!”

Her aunt’s face softens a moment before she moves to rest a hand on Kara’s back. “Little One, you know as well as I do that the military guild accepts all pledges, regardless of age. Some of our best warriors have been training since they could barely hold a weapon. If she changes her mind once she’s twenty-one, she can be pardoned from service.”

“But they’re _Kryptonian_ soldiers! Alex is human and much more fragile.” Kara can’t look at Alex as she speaks. While Alex is incredibly brave and strong, there _are_ fundamental differences between them.

“I’ve already made up my mind,” Alex says in a furious tone as she jerks away from Kara.

“Alex, I-I’m sorry, but I d-don’t want you to get hurt,” Kara stammers. She feels panicked when Alex pulls away, wondering what might happen if they part on poor terms.

Alex stops and it’s obvious that she’s wrestling with her own temper. She looks up over Kara’s shoulder. “Will you give us a minute?”

Astra nods. “Don’t take too long, I’m not sure when they’ll be sending for you, Alex.”

“Alex, please,” Kara says with a sob as soon as her aunt is out of sight. She feels a few tears slip from her eyes as Alex looks away and takes a deep breath.

She steps forward suddenly and cups Kara’s cheeks. “Trust me, Kara,” she whispers a moment before she presses a soft kiss to Kara’s forehead, remaining there for several heartbeats before pulling away.

Kara closes her eyes and holds her hands over Alex’s, hoping that if she just closes her eyes she can freeze this moment and keep them from being separated.

“I do. I always have, Alex.” She takes a shuddering breath when she feels Alex’s hands start to slip away.

She can feel Alex’s breath against her face, but she’s still too afraid to open her eyes.

“I have every intention of keeping my promise to you, Kara. And you know I’ll come see you the moment I have a chance to, okay?” Alex’s voice is full of tenderness - so much so that Kara is suddenly aching to see her face.

Kara opens her eyes, determined to take one long last look at her. “Look to the stars for me while you’re away, okay? I’ll look too.”

Alex’s smile is crooked as she nods. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Kara’s heart seems to drop down to her stomach when Alex turns and walks away.

Despite Alex’s assurances, she worries that this will be the last time they see each other.

She feels a sudden blinding rage for her cousin Kal-El, though she knows she doesn’t have a real reason to be so angry. Kal’s intentions are good, but his actions have directly resulted in her and Alex being separated.

*****

Waking the next morning is difficult for Alex. She’d struggled to fall asleep in her new home - a small dormitory that currently has no other occupants. Her bunk bed isn’t uncomfortable, but the new surroundings leave her feeling anxious.

It’s Astra that greets her first thing in the morning. “Good morning, Alex.”

“Good morning, General Ze,” Alex replies as she sits up on her bed. Her mind flashes to the previous night. She’d had to take a vow of loyalty to the House of El and New Krypton before being allowed a bunk space.

“We haven’t had a pledge as young as you for some years, as you can see by your lack of company,” Astra says as she gestures to the space around them.

There’s a question on the tip of Alex’s tongue, but she contains her curiosity.

Astra smiles. “It’s a great tragedy, because some of the greatest military minds are molded from a young age. My father pledged me to the military guild when I was four.”

Alex knows Astra isn’t boasting - her rise through the ranks of the military guild has been meteoric. “I didn’t know that.”

The smile on Astra’s face becomes wistful. “These days, while not against our laws, committing children to a life of warfare is generally considered taboo. There is much more to the military guild than simple warfare, however.”

The explanation makes Alex shift uncomfortably. She’s aware of this already; most of the night she’d worried what her training as an assassin would be like.

“I told you yesterday that you would be trained as an assassin, and I didn’t lie.” Astra looks at Alex as if she knows exactly what’s running through her mind. “Do you know what most of our trained assassins do, Alex?”

Alex swallows, wondering if this is a trick question. “Kill people?”

Astra looks pleased at the response. “No. As I have explained to you before, learning and mastering a weapon enables you to better defend against it. And so it is with our elite soldiers that are trained as you shall be; most of them spend their time keeping people alive. You will be one of these elite.”

“Surely there aren’t that many threats that such people are needed,” Alex says with a frown. In her many years living in Argo City, she’d never caught whiff of any battles or assassination attempts.

“I’m afraid that’s not so,” Astra says. Her face becomes hard as she looks away. “I’m afraid Kara has led a sheltered life - as do most Kryptonian nobles. There is much strife in the world, and our job is to make sure that those we love are protected from it.”

She looks back at Alex.

A sudden understanding comes over Alex. “If I do this, I can protect Kara.”

“If you do this, you can learn to protect all of New Krypton - and most especially Kara,” Astra corrects.

Alex considers how devastated Kara would be if something were to happen to her family - distant or not - Kara’s always had a large and open heart. Her trepidation over her future begins to fade and her determination grows. “When do I start?”

“Your enthusiasm is appreciated. We have to wait for the Assertion to be announced before it can be affirmed that you made your vow of your own free will, and then we can resume both your training and schooling.” Astra stands and smooths her hands over her uniform. ”So for the day we have simple tasks to complete. You will have a physical from a healer and then be fitted for your new uniforms.”

The words catch Alex by surprise, and her hands drop to the beige outfit she’s used to wearing. It’s a little tight, Alex having undergone another growth spurt just before her birthday. She runs her hands over the color that for a long time denoted her not only as human, but also as a servant. “What color will I be wearing?”

Astra gives her a curious look. “You’re pledged to the military guild. Black, of course.”

All at once Alex feels too large for her body, becoming lightheaded when she considers that finally she’s _free_. Though Kara and J’onn had never made her feel like anything less than an equal, everyone _else_ has had no qualms of reminding her of who and what she is. With a cursory look no one will be able to tell that she’s human, that she’s somehow less than those around her simply because of the cosmic accident of her birth.

“What mark will I bear?” she asks suddenly as she looks up at Astra.

A slow smile blooms on Astra’s face. “As all those who pledge to the military guild who are without a House, you will bear the mark of the Great House of El on the cap of your sleeve.”

It’s Alex’s turn to smile. The mark would be the same, at least. Even apart from Kara they’d still be linked by some small thing, and it pleases Alex more than she’ll say aloud. General Ze is smiling at her and something tells Alex that she knows anyway.

“Shall we go?” Alex stands and gives Astra an expectant look. The general is only a little taller than her now, and Alex wonders if one day she’ll catch up.

Again she thinks of Kara as they leave the dormitory; both Kara’s parents are fairly tall. It wouldn’t surprise Alex if one day Kara is significantly taller than she is. It’s a bittersweet thought when she considers the nights they’ve cuddled and looked at the stars. Kara has always preferred curling into her side and using her shoulder as a pillow because she’s taller.

As they enter the large medical bay of the military guild facility, it truly hits Alex that she doesn’t know when she’ll see Kara again. She clenches her fists and tries to remain placid as a woman in cyan takes her to a cubicle for her physical.

“We’ll also be running a genescan,” the woman explains as she hands Alex a pale blue examination suit.

Alex hesitates only briefly before accepting the clothing. She hasn’t had a genescan before, and she wonders why she needs one now.

The woman gives her an impatient look so Alex begins changing, self conscious though the healer is busy rapidly typing something out on a panel.

“Let’s begin,” the healer says when Alex is finished changing.

The examination suit feels like a second skin, and though Alex is covered from toe to neck, she still feels bare. “What’s first?” she asks unsteadily.

*****

Kara frowns at the robot wielding two short batons as it approaches. She grips her own and takes a breath.

The robot darts in, eerily quiet as it swings at her in a wide arc. She deflects the first baton and dodges the other, ducking in and landing a solid blow on its chrome torso. All is well until she tries to turn away.

“Oof,” comes out the gust of air as the robot lands a double swing to her stomach.

“Kara,” J’onn says with a sigh a moment before she drops her batons and angrily swings at the robot’s head.

The robot dodges the first few swings, but Kara is moving too quickly and swinging too hard.

“There,” Kara says as she sucks in a breath and stares down at the crumpled remains of her training opponent.

She can hear J’onn sigh again as he moves around her. “Kara, you can’t always rely on brute strength. Where is your patience?”

Kara grins, showing her teeth fiercely. “Patience? What patience?”

Her patience has been gone since the first week of Alex’s disappearance. Her aunt hadn’t taken Alex to the wing of the military guild here in the fortress like Kara had thought. Messages to her aunt had gone unanswered, and a simple request to her father had only garnered a stern reply that Astra was busy attending to critical affairs.

Alex has been gone _six_ months and Kara hasn’t heard a single whisper about her. People have been too busy gossiping of other things to pay attention a single missing ‘pet’. Kara sneers at the thought.

Court has been far too occupied discussing her cousin’s push for more changes to how humans are treated - he wants them not only _free_ , but recognized as official Kryptonian citizens. It’s a radical thought that the council has been trying to avoid - simply because it makes the old families of Krypton uneasy. Kara is angry that they continue to waste time debating nonsensical things rather than tackling larger issues - larger issues such as citizenship that might help her be reunited with Alex all the sooner.

“I miss her too,” come the soft words. J’onn is giving her a sympathetic look, but Kara doesn’t want it.

She knows J’onn loves Alex - but J’onn’s bond is nothing like the one between her and Alex. Their bond? Well, it’s always been the two of them together, always learning and helping each other. Kara feels off kilter without Alex. It’s unnatural for them to be apart.

“Are we done here?” she asks brusquely.

J’onn’s face hardens. “No. You might have put your training partner out of service, but you have forms to finish.”

An argument is on the tip of Kara’s tongue, and she thinks of what Alex would say about the way she’s treating J’onn. She instantly deflates, offering J’onn a nod.

“I’ve never really liked these lessons, but Alex made everything tolerable,” Kara admits some time later when she’s about to leave the training area. She doesn’t look back, but she can feel J’onn’s understanding look settle on her back. She stares forward, unmoving.

When he says nothing, she leaves. Kara’s mind is lost in worry as she makes her way back to her room. She’s so preoccupied that she almost runs into the woman waiting outside of her room.

“Lois,” she blurts out.

“Kara, hey.” Lois doesn’t quite smile, but she does look pleased to see Kara.

Kara feels much when she looks at Lois, but resentment smothers out anything positive. She still doesn’t understand why Lois was allowed to remain and Alex was not. “What are you doing here?”

Lois tilts her head and twists her lips into a wry smile. “I wanted to talk to you about the chip on your shoulder.”

“I don’t know what you mean. Perhaps that is a human colloquialism I’m unfamiliar with.” Kara crosses her arms defensively.

“Spare me the innocent act. We both know you blame Kal for losing Alex. I think it’s great that you’ve tried to turn that energy into helping us,” Lois waves at herself with a hand, and Kara understand she means humans, “but you shouldn’t be angry at Kal for trying to give us a real place in what was once our own world.”

Kara doesn’t acknowledge that Lois is aware of the quiet petitioning she’s made to her parents to make sure that the displaced human children are still being educated, and those without proper familial guardians are being overseen by qualified human volunteers.

“I’m not angry about that, how could I be? I’m angry that he didn’t consider what might happen to people like Alex who were forced away from the only life they’ve known and who have no family left that could have taken them in. Did you know that there are over a hundred children in Midvale alone that have been stuck in a community home because they have no family nearby? Some are as young as four years old!” Kara abruptly stops speaking when she realizes her voice has risen to a near-shout. She’s not angry at Lois, but she is resentful.

Lois studies her carefully, nodding once and crossing her arms over her chest. “He considered it, Kara. He knows about the children - do you know why?”

Kara looks away, suddenly feeling awkward. She knows the moment Lois steps forward.

“My sister is one of those children, and part of the reason Kal was trying so hard to get the Assertion passed. Lucy wasn’t lucky like you or I; her sponsor House in Kryptonopolis had her doing dangerous work that would have probably _killed_ her.” A hand settles lightly on Kara’s shoulder. “Kal _knows_ this hasn’t been easy. My parents are long gone, and my sister has been forced to stay in one of those community homes.”

“So that’s why he’s pressing so hard for citizenship.” The tension in Kara’s shoulders ease slightly.

“I can guess what you thought before. Hell, it’s what all the Kryptonian nobles are gossiping about. Kal _does_ want to marry me, but that’s not why he’s doing this.” Lois’s eyes are warm when Kara finally finds herself able to meet her gaze.

Kara’s eyes narrow and her lips press into a thin line. Her pulse accelerates. “You have another reason for coming here. H-have you heard anything about Alex?”

“No, I’m sorry. Kal has been looking into where she might be, but he hasn’t learned anything new.” Lois pauses, taking a deep breath. “You are right, though. I did have another reason for coming here.”

“What is it?” Kara asks warily.

Lois smiles, her nose crinkling as she makes a bemused face. “Kal is having trouble with the council. For such an advanced civilization, some of you harbor some rather archaic ideas. Luckily, there are many scions of the Houses that haven’t completed the Rite.”

Kara blinks and then chuckles when she understands Lois’s implication. “Well, I do have more free time now that I’m alone.”

There’s hardly any bitterness to the words. Lois looks relieved. Kal has already been painted the black sheep of the House of El, but Kara is considered quite the darling of the nobility. If Kara speaks smartly, she might be able to influence her fellow uninitiated scions in favorable ways.

Kara smiles brightly, unaware that when Lois looks into her eyes she sees hope for the future.

*****

Alex stares at herself in the mirror, noting a grimmer set to her mouth than she can remember from a year ago.

A year ago today, she’d been with Kara under the stars talking about the uncertainty of the Assertion. Being away from Kara on her birthday is almost physically painful; Alex hasn’t missed a single one since she’d gone to live at the Fortress of El.

“It’s for the greater good,” Alex tells herself as she leans forward to splash water over her face. As promised, her studies had resumed. Soon after that, so had her training.

Tonight is special, though for a different reason than Kara’s birth according to her instructors. She’s excelled here without Kara’s mischievous antics and distracting laugh to divert her focus. Alex isn’t sure how she feels about that, but she knows General Astra is satisfied with her increased weapon proficiency - so much so that she’s been approved for an entirely new and confidential sort of training.

“Trainee Danvers,” comes the sharp bark of Zura-Tan, Alex’s head instructor.

“Yes, Sergeant Tan,” Alex replies automatically. She knows her quiet time is up as she hurriedly pats her face dry.

She’s out in the dormitory scant seconds later, and Sergeant Tan grunts her approval.

“This way, Trainee,” Zura-Tan says sharply as she turns on her heel.

Alex falls into step alongside her head instructor, long used to following orders. She peeks up through her lashes discreetly as they walk, hiding a smile as she catches sight of the countless stars glimmering brightly.

They walk out to a stone-tiled area that Alex has seen many times but never investigated. A lone figure is standing in the center of of the rectangle area. She’s tall and has long, wild hair that Alex isn’t sure the color of with the poor lighting.

Alex is fascinated; though most Kryptonians wear variants of the same kind of uniforms and robes in their guild colors, this woman is draped in soft diaphanous cloth that seems to roll and undulate like the ocean when Alex examines it closely..

“Alexandra Danvers,” the woman says in an accent Alex has never heard before, “I am pleased to have you before me here tonight.”

“The honor is mine,” Alex says carefully and inclines her head. She still isn’t certain what she’ll be learning, but it’s clear this woman is her instructor.

The woman smiles, the shadows of the night making what would normally be a pleasant expression seem macabre. “It is, indeed. I am Mera, and I will be teaching you a craft that no Kryptonian has ever been able to master.”

Alex’s interest is piqued, so much so that she doesn’t register when Zura-Tan leaves.

“What craft?”

Mera raises a hand palm upward with her fingers raised. Her hand is engulfed with purple light. “Why, magic, of course.”

_Magic doesn’t exist_ , Alex almost says. The little of it she does know is from old Earth fairy tales her mother had read to her when she was a child. She holds her tongue and considers what she knows. A hundred years ago people might have said there was no life beyond Earth. Some of the things she’s learned from her Kryptonian education would defy all previously known human logic.

“You can teach me magic?” Her voice hesitates over the last word

The purple around Mera’s hand intensifies until it’s blazing upward from her palm like an odd flame. “Well, somewhat. Your genescan revealed a limited aptitude. You are proficient with a blade, yes?”

“Yes,” Alex replies automatically, confused with Mera’s shift in topic.

“That will be most useful to you.” The purple in Mera’s hand flares once and then goes out.

Alex stares at her, wondering what one has to do with the other but not wanting to ask.

“The Kryptonians aren’t wrong about you. There is _some_ ability in you, more so than the last land dweller they brought to me. Younger too.” Mera begins walking a slow circle around Alex, who slowly turns so her back is never to her new instructor.

Mera nods to herself. “You carry yourself well. Let’s test your reflexes.”

The words are barely out of Mera’s mouth when her hands suddenly move. Bright purple balls of light come at Alex, and she swiftly dodges them from side to side.

The first few come one at a time, but then three come at Alex from different angles. She drops into a low roll, winding her legs to avoid a fourth ball that had been just out of the range of her periphery. One crashes near her left hand, shattering and sending purple shocks of light into the air around it.

Alex frowns at the uncomfortable tingle but doesn’t stop moving, springing from her back and up onto her feet. She’s grateful for the years of training J’onn has given her, especially with Kara as her partner. She’s never had Kara’s speed, strength, or senses, but working with Kara has helped hone her own.

The balls of light keep coming, and she can almost _feel_ them humming in the air as they sweep past her. She loses track of time as she bobs and weaves and dodges, regardless of the fact that she’s certain the orbs won’t hurt more than she can handle. Alex is determined to excel at this test.

Her heart is thumping steadily as she spins one last time - only to find that there are no more projectiles coming at her.

“I am pleased,” Mera says. “You are an excellent candidate.”

Alex flips her hair back out of her eyes, watching Mera carefully. “You have webbed hands.”

Mera grins. “You have a touch of Order in you. Not much, but enough.”

“Okay,” Alex says in an even voice. Her hands are lightly balled into fists as she waits for Mera to elaborate.

“Kryptonians are utter failures with magic, and it makes them vulnerable to it. This has lead them to study what they can of it. They’ve discovered a few facts about it, an important one being that there is a metal that works exceptionally well in enhancing latent magical ability. While not much use to those with a natural gift for magic, for someone such as yourself it can be an immense help.” Mera’s shoulders straighten as she stands taller and reaches back.

A sword appears, seemingly from nowhere. For a moment writing glimmers and dances all along the blade, and then it’s gone. Alex would almost think she imagined the text if for not what Mera has already said.

“The man known as King Arthur was given a blade like this to assist with his endeavors,” Mera says absently as she stares at the blade.

“Was Merlin real too?” Alex asks as she stares at the sword in unabashed awe.

“Perhaps.” Mera focuses on Alex. “It matters little. A sword like this is different than any you’ve ever handled, and will be an immensely powerful addition to your repertoire. Before you earn the chance to train with it, you must learn to identify both Chaos and Order in the world around you.”

Alex considers everything she’s learned in a year; from using Kryptonite darts to treating Kryptonite exposure. She’s earned a pair of Kryptonite daggers with special lead-lined sheathes and has studied the unique energy signatures from variations of synthetic Kryptonite. All she sees before is more - more knowledge that will make her better able to defend Kara as needed.

“Teach me.”

*****

Kara forces a smile as she passes a last set of nobles, slipping behind a statue and out into a side hallway before anyone else can stop her. Her fifteenth birthday is spent much like the last. Her parents were too busy to attend her party, though they had managed to find time to share breakfast with her.

She doesn’t want to feel resentful toward them - she knows they’re busy trying to handle about a hundred things at once. Since the humans have been freed nearly two years without any long term solutions agreed upon, tensions have risen between humans and Kryptonians. In addition to that, there’s been fallout among generations of nobles over disagreements over what many deem radical ideas.

Kal-El’s notions of humanity are gaining traction, though the elders of the council continue to argue ardently against giving the “lesser species” more freedom, citing the reasons for the original Kryptonian Assertion of Power. Their arguments only go so far as they refuse to release the information pertaining to the reasons for taking control of the Earth some eight decades ago.

Kara has done her best to speak to the right people and sway them with logic and reason, but she’s done enough politicking for the day. It _is_ her birthday, and all she wants to do is find a few moments of peace under the stars.

Her breath catches before she opens the last door to the courtyard, and her chest aches. So many times she’s wished that she’ll open the door to find Alex waiting on the other side, and so many times her heart has broken over Alex’s continued absence.

Alex is almost sixteen now, and Kara wonders if she’s grown taller than her beloved friend yet. She opens the door and tells herself not to be disappointed; she _knows_ Alex won’t be there. The suppressor she’s worn since she was a child is now functioning at less than twenty percent and she can already hear all the way on the other side of the fortress when she concentrates.

Her stomach still falls when the courtyard is revealed to be pale and empty, and she chides herself for her failure. Not for the first time she wonders if Alex really was happy here at all, or if maybe Alex is enjoying her freedom and will never come back. It’s a lonely thought, but one Kara has had many times over Alex’s continued silence.

Eventually her aunt had admitted that Alex has been willingly part of a special program - one that requires patience and focus, and Alex has rightfully chosen to give it her entire concentration. Kara had asked only once if Alex was allowed to communicate.

The ‘of course’ had hurt more than she’d ever admit out loud.

She’s quiet as she goes to her old familiar spot, arranging herself as best she can on the hard floor. She tries to imagine Alex here with her, the warm comforting body and familiar scent that she’s already struggling to remember.

Two years is too long, and Kara thinks that maybe it’s time to let go of her hope that she and Alex will be reunited. Maybe this is all just one grand sign from Alex.

Her eyes close as she sheds a few tears, unable to look up at the stars while she allows her darkest fears to take hold. She curls up on her side and rubs at her face with one hand, knowing it’s not the time for tears. She can’t give up on Alex; Alex _promised_.

Kara opens her eyes and tries to picture Alex beside her, curled up in a mirrored pose. The image is fuzzy around the edges in her mind, and she knows it won’t be long until the memory is too faded to remember well.

She heaves a shaky breath and decides she’ll draw it _again_ , just to make sure she doesn’t forget how the moonlight washed away all color and for a while both she and Alex could ignore the beige of Alex’s uniform.

As she’s about to sit up, something irregular in the stone catches her attention. She frowns. The stone here is carefully monitored and maintained. When she focuses, she’s surprised to find a thin paper-like layer that’s somehow stuck to the hard surface.

She reaches out to peel it away, sitting so that the odd thin paper is brightened by the soft moonlight. It’s folded twice; she unfolds it out of curiosity.

Kara freezes when she realizes there’s writing on the paper, and is even more startled when she discovers that it’s handwritten. Her fingers trace the familiar script in shock. There’s no way this has lasted two years out here. She takes in a deep breath and holds it as she begins to read.

_Kara,_

_I’m so sorry it’s been so long since I’ve contacted you. At first I was kind of scared and overwhelmed, but then I realized that what I’m doing now is incredibly important. I couldn’t talk to you, not when I have so much to learn._

_I know that if I called and saw your face and heard your voice there’s no way I’d be able to stay here and train. It’s so tempting to slip away and find you. It’s been so long since I heard you laugh. I miss that._

_I couldn’t stand another year of me missing your birthday, so I decided this might be a special way for me to be with you without_ being _with you. I know it’s not the same but…_

_I hope it helps, just a little._

_General Ze tells me a little about you sometimes; vague updates about what you’re up to. Your aunt is kind of cool, you know? She knows I’m only strong enough to do this because of you._

_Ugh, she told me Tor-Var is all the talk amongst the nobles as one of your most ardent admirers. Seriously, please tell me you didn’t dance with him this year. That guy is such a leech-lizard and you can do so much better._

_I really hope you find this, but I couldn’t figure out where to put it that you might easily find it. Getting to your room unseen was kind of out of the question, but our old training area is nice and open._

_I guess part of me is hoping you haven’t given up on me yet. I haven’t given up on returning, and I think about you every day. I just need to do this, Kara. For me, but also for you._

_I’ll try to get another one of these to you soon. I’m worried if I sent you a message through the network that someone else might read it. There’s a lot going on, a lot more than you know. I’ll tell you one day, hopefully face to face._

_I think next time I’ll hide this on the side of the weapon’s cache. Over in the top left corner. Look for it, will you?_

_I love you. (Don’t forget that.)_

_-Alex_

Kara hugs the paper to her chest as if it were Alex, almost feeling as warm and happy as she would if Alex were here herself. She smiles up at the stars and wipes away tears she hadn’t realized had escaped her eyes.

All doubts are forgotten as she stares upward, wondering if Alex is still somewhere here in the fortress.

“I won’t forget,” she whispers with a smile.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's been lots of lovely comments lately, and I want to thank everyone for those. They serve as an incredible boost when my energy levels are flagging and I'm struggling to find the right words. Thank you. :)
> 
> I started a playlist for this on Spotify. They're songs that make me think of Alex and Kara in this fic, as well as songs that make me think of particular scenes. If you're interested in checking it out you can search "noumenon playlist" on my tumblr.
> 
> We're only a couple chapters away from the end of the big time jumps, but we're not there yet. :)

* * *

The Fortress of El is especially beautiful in the moonlight, Alex thinks. Her grip tightens on a jagged spire of crystal as she leans over to see if the military guild patrol has passed. She grins when the two guards slip out of sight.

Her fingers flex and then she’s whipping her arm out to a spire several meters away. Black fabric shoots out from her wrist and blends with the shadows, clinging to the crystal in an unnatural way. She takes a deep breath and then let’s go of the crystal she’s holding onto and lets her body drop into a pendulous swing.

She’s ready for the impact, her hands and feet connecting eerily silent against the crystal. Her toes flex against the hard surface, and she’s glad for the otherworldly fabric’s protection. She’d earned the uniform as a gift from her instructor for achieving the first level of mastery in magic over a month before, and had immediately taken it out for a test run. It hadn’t taken her long to learn the benefits of the unique fabric.

She’s close now, and she smiles to herself at the realization.

Technically speaking she hasn’t been approved to do things like this, but when it comes to communicating with Kara, Alex tends to have memory lapses about what is allowed. It’s been a month since she’d breached the Fortress of El and left the first letter, and she wonders if Kara has received it. She hopes so, though part of her worries that Kara read it and _hates_ her...or worse, Kara doesn’t care at all any more.

Her grip almost slips. She scolds herself.

Kara isn’t so fickle. Still, Alex has been unable to avoid the thought from time to time. She reaches out with her arm to take another swing across the fortress, knowing the training courtyard is near.

She does a last check around before making her wild descent, giddy at the feeling of freedom she experiences as she free falls toward the stone ground. She reaches out with both arms to engage a cloth grip after a brief moment of falling, slowing herself on the high walls so she can land in an adroit roll instead of ending up a bloody and broken mess on the floor.

Part of her worries at the vulnerabilities in security here; as long as she uses low amounts of magic, the energy produced is negligible and almost entirely untraceable. The Kryptonian crystal preferred by most nobles for decorating their homes produces its own energy. With the amount of crystal at the Fortress of El, Alex could use a powerful spell and still remain entirely undetected.

Her lone comfort is that Mera swears magic is difficult to master for land dwellers - especially considering few are willing to teach them.

She remains crouched for a moment when she realizes she’s close to where she and Kara spent some time looking up at the stars. It’s difficult to forget, positioned as they were over ‘S’ like symbol of El. A smile grows on her face.

Alex stands and looks around the courtyard, marveling at the familiarity of it even after two years away. It seems a little smaller than she remembers, but not by much. She makes her way quietly to the hidden weapon rack, popping open a panel and using the crystal to open the larger panel that conceals the weapons cache.

The metal slides away silently. Alex replaces the crystal temporarily, knowing she should hurry if she doesn’t want to be caught. Her fingertips dance over the wooden swords she and Kara had first learned with, marveling at the scuffs and dents from their zealous attempts at learning the sword. The nostalgia almost makes her choke, and she shakes her head and returns her attention to her goal.

She hops up onto the small ledge of the weapons cache, straightening so she can reach up and put her message into place. As she feels around for the best spot, she’s surprised to find something already there.

Her breath catches when she carefully peels it away to find a folded piece of paper. She wants to read it immediately, but there is no time. The patrol will be circling back around soon, and she needs to be moving right after that if she wants to make it back to her training camp before someone notices she’s missing.

She slides the paper under the fabric of her suit and into a small pocket, retrieving her own note and carefully smoothing it into place. She eyes it to be sure the adhesive is bonded flatly; she doesn’t want anyone but Kara reading this.

Alex stares at it for a moment before hopping down and closing the cache. The crystal panel is closed soon after that, and everything is back as it was when she found it. She mentally calculates the time in her mind, knowing her window for returning is closing rapidly. She has ten minutes of travel by foot before she's back at the supply ship that will return her to camp.

She bounces on the balls of her feet before she takes a few running steps toward where the walls meet, using the wide corner to maneuver herself up and within reach of the closest crystal spire.

Her forehead is moistened by sweat by the time she’s ready to sneak aboard the cargo ship, and she tugs at the top of her suit. It stretches out unnaturally as she pulls it over her head and face, covering all but her eyes. The fabric will silence the noise of her breath, just like it does her heartbeat. She waits until the last crate is loaded onto the small vessel before slipping on board and between several of the containers.

She’s tempted to take Kara’s note out, but doesn’t want to alert the pilots on the ship to her presence with the crinkling of paper. The fifteen minutes of travel pass by slowly, but she manages to distract herself for the duration.

There’s a small gap in time when the cargo door is opened and the cargo is ready to be unloaded, and Alex slips from the transport then. A small bit of magic diverts attention around her as she moves to the cover of trees, and she breathes a sigh of relief when she’s back at the safety of her dormitory.

Alex doesn’t bother changing, only tugging her hood and mask down and flopping down on her bed with Kara’s note.

_Alex,_

_First of all, I’m so angry with you! I can’t believe you waited so long to contact me! Do you know all the things I’ve been thinking could have happened?_

_I’ve been going crazy not knowing._

_That being said, I’m_ so _glad you decided to write me. I’ve really missed you._

_Two years is too long._

_I guess I should confess that I spoke to my aunt a little less than a year ago and she finally informed me that you’re in some kind of confidential program. She told me you were allowed to communicate, so when I didn’t hear anything from you, I kind of thought maybe…_

_Well, I guess it doesn’t matter now. If you can’t send me another message for another year, at least I know that another_ could _come._

_Okay, so, I did dance with Tor-Var this year, and he’s really not that bad! He’s been really supportive of my efforts to reach out to other scions who haven’t Ascended yet about the need for equality for humans. It’s really nice to have the support of one of the other Great Houses, you know? It helps get the message out._

_I mean - the dance wasn’t really special or anything, I also danced with Sen-Ras; she’s a much better dancer than Tor. She’s really funny. You’d like her, I think. There was a bunch of other people I danced with too, but I ended up cutting out of the party early._

_It’s so funny, it’s been years since you and I danced together, but I can still remember it so very clearly. We should have danced in the courtyard, just the two of us. You’re my favorite dancing partner._

_I miss you. I don’t know when your training finishes, but do we have to be apart for the entire time? I’ll do my best while you’re away, but please just think about it._

_J’onn misses you too, you know._

_Another confession. I’ve re-written this a few times. At first I put a new note in every couple of days, but then it was just once a week. I hope you find this one, mostly because that would mean I would have another one from you._

_Don’t mind any discolored spots on the letter, it started raining a bit while I was writing this one out on the terrace. Oops! I forgot what it’s like to use paper - it’s surprisingly delicate._

_Be safe._

_I love you._

_-Kara_

Alex stares at the letter after she finishes, wondering exactly how many times Kara wrote this letter - and how many times it _rained_ while she was writing it.

She should get some sleep if she wants to survive the next day (only a few hours away now) of her combined lessons and training, but instead she starts carefully re-reading Kara’s letter.

*****

The next several months pass in a blur for Kara. Convincing other scions of the necessity of human equality is slow going, but Kara is determined to change things.

“Dear One, how are your studies coming along?” Alura asks on a rare day that she and Zor-El manage to sit down to dinner at the same time as Kara.

“Quite well, thanks for asking, Mother. I only wish I didn’t have to practice Klurkor so much. I’ve been studying it for years, surely I’m adequate enough to perform in the Rite.” Kara cuts carefully into her sweet potatoes, not wanting to seem confrontational. Although she enjoys her time spent with J’onn, she feels compelled to spend more of it devoted to her studies rather than the old Kandorian fighting style.

Zor clicks his tongue. “It’s easy for skills to fade if you let them fall to the side. It’s important you know how to defend yourself, Kara.”

Kara frowns down at her plate and takes a bite. She chews thoughtfully, looking at both her parents once she swallows. “Why? We’re at peace, are we not? Dru-Zod keeps to his own territories, as we do ours.”

Alura and Zor share a look. “The fact that we are not at war doesn’t necessarily mean we are at peace,” Alura finally says.

Kara is surprised. Normally her parents only speak vaguely about the state of affairs on New Krypton. She tilts her head curiously. “I know.”

The large dining hall is quiet for the next few minutes. Kara’s curiosity grows. Alex has hinted at strife in New Krypton in her letters, and now her parents are as well. “Is there something I should know about?”

“In a hurry to grow up, just as always,” Zor says with a smile. “No. Things never can run perfectly, but circumstances are hardly dire. Enjoy your time before you Ascend and have to begin to worry about the world’s problems.”

She already worries about the world’s problems, Kara wants to say. She doesn’t, aware that her parents still see her as a child. They’re only vaguely aware of her quiet petitioning of the other noble Houses.

“Have you considered what guild you’d like to join?” Alura asks when there’s another lull in conversation.

Kara bites her lip. She’s done exceptionally well in all her subjects. Though parts of her feel a calling toward the arts and sciences, she knows that Kal is working on something special for a particular guild - something special that Kara very much wants to be a part of.

“I have.” She looks up with a smile. “I’ll be joining you and Kal in the judiciary guild.”

Alura smiles, her blue eyes seeming to twinkle with delight.

Zor scowls playfully. “What, science isn’t good enough for you?”

“I love science, Father. However, I can’t deny a certain pull to be a part of the guild that oversees justice for New Krypton.” She laughs when her father heaves a dramatic sigh, treasuring the rare moment of family time.

The lines on both of her parents’ faces have been slowly deepening over the last few years, and given what Kara knows of Kryptonian physiology - which is quite a bit - they must be under enormous amounts of stress to be showing even a hint of age. As the rest of their dinner passes in quiet comfort, Kara firmly resolves to ask Alex directly what’s going on outside of Argo City.

They linger at the table after they finish eating, talking quietly until a robotic servant comes to fetch her parents in what the robot claims is an urgent matter.

Kara sighs as she makes her way back to her room. Despite what her father said, she _knows_ something important is happening. She wishes she’d had more time with her parents, both for the simple fact that she dearly misses them and so she could try and carefully learn more about what they’re trying to hide.

She checks with her senses to ensure that she’s alone; the guards that shadow her everywhere are watching the hallway and a safe distance outside her window, so her privacy is adequate.

Kara smiles to herself as she makes her way over to her bed. She’s grateful for the special lead lining added to private rooms as she carefully opens a small panel just to the side of her bed frame.

Alex’s letters are here; a small pile of fragile parchment that mean more to Kara than all of the riches of both New and Old Krypton. She carefully retrieves the last letter, reverently unfolding the letter and wishing silently that Alex were here.

_Kara,_

_I went out on my first mission the other day. I wasn’t alone, but I was still nervous. Thankfully no one around me knew that. I can’t tell you exactly what it was, but it involved a minor infiltration and information retrieval. Since I’m the smallest and quietest (man Kryptonians can be like bulls in a china shop) I was on retrieval while the rest of the goons with me worked on diversionary tactics._

_It was crazy. At first things were going well, but then I think someone got a little overzealous. Alarms started going off, and there was some fighting. Don’t worry, I’m fine._

_Mostly._

_I had to hurt someone, Kara. I don’t know how I feel about that. I mean, I used to daydream about punching that snooty Xer-Var at council meetings, but that’s different._

_Some of the other guys talked to me about it afterward, and it was kind of nice. They never treat me differently because I’m human, you know? One of the guys even said that he threw up after his first skirmish. He said he got through it by thinking about everyone he was trying to protect._

_It helped. I know it might sound crazy Kara, but I realized that I would do anything to protect the people I love. I would do anything to protect you. You’re my family._

_So is J’onn, but don’t tell him I said that._

_I wish I could tell you everything now, but even with the precautions we’ve taken in exchanging these, part of me still can’t risk it. Even just_ knowing _everything is dangerous, Kara. I don’t like the thought of you in danger._

_I know it must drive you crazy for me to say that, but you can’t exactly do anything about it, can you? Don’t glare at the paper, you might burn it._

_Yeah, your aunt told me about that one. I guess it’s a good thing you were only glaring at an image of Tor’s mom, huh? Don’t blow up any more crystals. I still don’t like Tor, but he is way better than his mom. That lady has some serious issues with humans._

_Do you know if Lois has heard back about her sister yet? I know things are complicated now that the human towns are forming their own system of government again, but it seems kind of crazy that they won’t let Lucy join Lois in Argo City. They’re sisters!_

_I was always kind of resentful that Lois got to stay with Kal, but after thinking about it a while I realized that it must have been really difficult for her. She’s crafty, that Lois Lane. She should hate Kryptonians for how she lost her parents, but there she is all ready to marry one and is helping him turn the entire system on its head. There’s an old human saying about honey and vinegar that you might know that could be applied to this situation._

_Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever stop missing you. I doubt it. We grew up closer than sisters, even though we don’t share blood. I’ve been thinking about it a lot - what to call us. Finally being part of a squad has done that. They’ve all got loved ones they carry pictures of._

_I guess it doesn’t matter, does it? What we call each other? We’re family._

_I love you._

_-Alex_

Kara still feels a great mix of things when she reads the letter, but most of all she just feels an intense longing. Alex is growing and learning without her - is experiencing all sorts of things Kara has never thought of. She misses being a part of Alex’s life, though it’s apparent that Alex does still view her as a very important part of it.

She tugs out her own half finished letter, nervously eyeing the small separate slip of paper that’s tucked away in it. Kara wonders if Alex will like it. It had made Kara a little uncomfortable to draw, but her materials were limited if she wanted the correspondence to remain private. She ignores the butterflies in her stomach and picks up the pen it’d taken her nearly a week to procure.

_*****_

Alex’s stomach is tight as she waits in the shadows of her little niche. Several patrols have already gone by. If she drops down she has a small chance of blending in, but she can’t take that risk until her quarry is in sight.

Her hand slides under her uniform, her fingers brushing over the small pocket and the old folded piece of paper that’s nearly always tucked into it. She’s been on enough missions now that she shouldn’t feel nervous about them - she’s pulled off ten successful solo training excursions in the last year alone - but she still can’t settle her stomach.

She carefully stretches in her small hiding spot, wanting to remain limber in case she needs to suddenly spring into action.

After another twenty minutes of waiting she’s about to give up hope - when a lone figure suddenly emerges from a tall set of doors.

Alex hesitates only briefly before she’s out of her hiding spot and down in the courtyard.

It’s her breathing that gives her away, small pants from her parted lips as she stares at the tall figure.

The woman in front of her turns sharply, the white of her flowing robes swirling almost hypnotically in the moonlight.

Kara looks upset and ready to argue with whomever she finds, but her face is frozen in shock.

Alex’s anxiety rises. “Kara, it’s--”

“Alex,” Kara breathes out in a whisper. She’s rushing forward nary a heartbeat later, and then Alex is pulled into a tight hug.

Alex’s arms wrap around Kara automatically even though it’s been years since she’s received a hug. She enjoys it though it’s painful, but she taps a hand over Kara’s shoulder blade. “Kara. Air.”

Kara eases her grip and leans back a little. There’s a crooked smile on her face and what’s probably a blush showing on her cheeks. “Sorry,” Kara says in a joyful voice.

They stare at each other, and Alex begins to grow warm in the loose circle of Kara’s arms. Though she’s had the small drawing of Kara for the last couple of years, seeing Kara in person is a wholly different experience. Kara is _beautiful_.

“You’re tall,” she says instead.

Kara throws her head back and laughs loud and long, pulling Alex closer again. “And you’re _here_.”

The way Kara’s familiar eyes slowly trace over her features make Alex forget everything she’s wanted to say in this moment. There’s still another month until she’s officially completed her training, but she couldn’t bear being away from Kara for yet another birthday.

“I was starting to think you’d never leave your party. Thought maybe you’d be dancing the night away with Sen-Ras. You’ve been talking about her a lot in your recent letters.” Alex injects a playful lilt to the words, though she’s begun to inexplicably hate the unknown Sen-Ras every time Kara’s shared some anecdote involving the unknown girl.

“I’d have skipped the entire thing if I knew you were waiting out here,” Kara says immediately. “I wish you’d have told me. I still can’t believe you’re here. I’ve missed you.”

Alex doesn’t fight being pulled into another hug, instead tucking her head alongside Kara’s and inhaling deeply. A flood of feelings hit her all at once, and it registers that she’s here with _Kara_. “This was such a bad idea,” she mumbles.

She flinches when her side is pinched, easing backward and glaring at Kara. “Ow.”

“Don’t you dare say that, Alex Danvers. I haven’t seen you in _four_ years.” Despite Kara’s efforts to remain cheerful, her voice breaks.

Alex softens, stepping closer to Kara and cupping her cheeks when she sees the moisture glistening in Kara’s eyes. The move is oddly reminiscent of their last time together up in their shared room, but this time Alex is glad that her special uniform hides the furious pounding of her heart. She takes a breath and brushes her thumbs over Kara’s cheeks, a wry smile twisting her lips.

“I just mean that I don’t think I can leave you again now. Which is bad, since my training won’t be officially completed until the ceremony on my birthday.” It’s odd for Alex having to look up at Kara as she speaks, but she can’t seem to tear her eyes away from the features she’s ached to see almost daily.

“Then stay,” Kara whispers.

They stare at each other for an indeterminate amount of time. It hurts Alex to see Kara in pain, but she’s so close to reaching her goal. “I can’t.” The words are heavy in Alex’s mouth.

“Just for the night then? Please?” Kara won’t look her in the eye now, instead focusing on her chin as a tear slips down her cheek. Alex hurriedly swipes at the offending moisture with her thumb. She really can’t stay.

“Okay,” she says. On any other day with any other person she might have the strength to say no, but this isn’t any other day and Kara isn’t any other person. Getting back to camp in time will require an enormous test of her expertise, but Alex will worry about that in the morning.

Kara is approximately seventeen years and nine hours old when Alex understands that she’ll never love anyone else as much as she does Kara.

The feeling is confirmed when Kara grins at her and squeezes her into another too-tight hug. Alex doesn’t care that she can’t breathe - she isn’t sure she’d be able to without Kara’s arms around her anyway.

She follows Kara up to their old room, blending in as much as the other shadows she remembers from when they were children. It irks her that they aren’t here to protect Kara, but she knows that Kara has been vehement about her capacity to protect herself. The suppressor Kara has worn since she was a child almost does nothing to contain her abilities now with barely eight percent left on the bracelet.

Alex still thinks having the guards dismissed was foolish, though she admits it has made this moment possible.

For the first years of Alex’s life in the Fortress of El, everywhere but the spaces she frequently shared with Kara felt like a prison. After so many years away those feelings are nearly forgotten; she’s simply happy to be with Kara.

The feeling of _home_ settles in her gut when the door to Kara’s room shuts behind them.

*****

Kara is jittery as she prepares for bed, full of energy from Alex’s surprise visit and unexpectedly as nervous as she is overjoyed. They’ve both changed since the last time they were together, and Kara wonders what Alex thinks of her.

They’ve exchanged numerous letters over the years, doing the best they can to share what they can of their experiences. As she slips from her bathing chamber and nods at Alex as she passes by for her own turn, Kara worries that Alex won’t like how much she’s changed. Does Alex think of her as a stranger now?

“Come on,” Alex coaxes when she emerges from the bathing chamber dressed in a borrowed loose linen sleeveless shirt and pants that are rolled once at the top. Kara moisten her lips and accepts the hand that’s extended toward her, sighing quietly at the familiar touch.

Kara’s worries evaporate as she climbs into bed facing the large window, and she smiles when Alex scoots up behind her. This was Alex’s favorite position when she wanted to talk but was too embarrassed to face Kara. She lifts her head so Alex’s arm can slide under her neck, tugging Alex’s other arm so it’s settled over her waist.

“This is now officially my favorite birthday,” Kara announces once they’re settled comfortably.

“Good to know you’re still so easy to please,” Alex teases.

Kara responds by reaching back and lightly pinching at Alex’s side.

“Hey!” Alex squawks. “I’ve been back less than an hour and you’ve already pinched me _twice_.”

A retort is on the edge of Kara’s tongue when she spots something out of the corner of her eye. She focuses on it with a frown, bringing a hand up to trace the jagged finger-length scar on Alex’s forearm. “I’ve got a lot of missed ones to make up for,” she murmurs absently.

Behind her Alex shivers, and Kara can hear her heart pounding. She doesn’t stop tracing the scar, not liking that the puckered flesh is still pink and fresh. “How did you get this?”

The sound of Alex’s heart beating slows and becomes more natural. “You know I can’t tell you that,” Alex says in a low voice.

Kara is suddenly angry with everything Alex _hasn’t_ said over the years. Logically she understands that Alex _can’t_ talk about certain things, but emotionally she can’t stand the thought of Alex putting herself in harm’s way every day.

“I thought you said they’d assigned you to research duties.” The words come out as an accusation, but Kara doesn’t care.

“They did, Kara, but sometimes those research duties are out in the field.” Alex’s voice is patient and kind. Tears sting Kara’s eyes for reasons she isn’t sure about, and she ducks her head forward to brush a tender kiss to the raised flesh without thinking.

“You have a promise to keep,” Kara whispers as she stares down at the scar.

The arm around Kara’s waist tugs lightly, and Kara shifts so she’s lying down again. Alex pulls her closer, the scarred arm rising so Alex’s hand can rest on Kara’s shoulder.

The embrace makes Kara swallow thickly, and she can feel the warmth of Alex’s breath brush her ear. “I haven’t forgotten,” Alex says. “I could never forget.”

There’s a rustling of fabric as Alex moves, her arm briefly disappearing from Kara’s waist only for it to return higher. Her elbow is resting high on Kara’s ribcage, but that doesn’t hold Kara’s attention.

An old creased piece of paper is held up just to where Kara can see, and Kara’s heart thumps faster when she sees it. “You kept it.”

“Of course. It’s the only picture I have of you. You sure you don’t want to join the arts guild?” Alex sounds serious, and Kara can only smile.

Kara reaches out to tug Alex’s hand closer, brushing a kiss across her thumb. She thinks about the new subdivision of the judiciary guild Kal-El has recently established - Human Advocacy - and how helpful it will be in protecting a particular human she happens to adore. “I’m sure.”

The room is quiet as Alex gently pulls her hand away, and Kara can hear the sound of her putting the small piece of paper back where it’d been retrieved from.

“You know, I’d been counting on being assigned to your protective detail once I’d finished my training,” Alex says some moments later, “but you kind of ruined that by having your detail reassigned.”

Kara laughs and reaches back, tangling her fingers with Alex’s and pulling Alex’s arm back around her. “I think I could make an exception for you, and if that doesn’t work out, well - you know the military and judiciary guilds have a lot of overlap. Maybe once Kal and I get the Human Rights Assertion expanded to include citizenship, you could even join a guild other than the military one.”

“Dunno, I kinda like where I am.” Alex squeezes Kara’s hand, making Kara smile.

“Do you think it’s odd, how well we get along?” Kara asks some minutes later. After losing Alex she’s spent more time with other scions, and while many seemed to have liked their companions, none seem to have the same kind of bond she shares with Alex. Many had spoken fondly of their ex-human counterparts, but not much more.

The only other person she knows that’s bonded closely with a human companion is her cousin Kal. She blushes, happy Alex can’t see her face or hear her thoughts. Kal and Lois’s relationship is still far different from hers and Alex’s, but...

“Some might,” Alex says, pulling Kara from her rather embarrassing thoughts.

“That’s not what I asked.” Kara grows worried at Alex’s evasive answer.

Alex takes a deep breath and then releases a sigh. “No, I don’t. I don’t care what anyone thinks either. As long as you’re safe and happy, everyone else can go jump into the Fire Falls.”

Kara laughs out her surprise, relieved at Alex’s response. “I’m so glad you came tonight.”

“Me too.” Alex snuggles ever closer.

Kara sighs and closes her eyes, loving the tingle of Alex’s breath against the back of her neck. It won’t be long until they’re together again for good.

*****

Alex licks her lips as she sneaks into her dormitory, wincing at the bright morning light. She’d been forced to use the strongest spells she knows to get back at a decent time, and it had been difficult to leave Kara in the grey of early morning. She’s fatigued over her use of spells, but she still has an entire day of work to do.

The moment the dormitory door closes, Alex knows she’s not alone.

_Shit_ , she thinks the moment she notices General Ze standing near her bunk.

Alex walks as casually as she can toward her bed, knowing there’s no way to hide the fact that she’s wearing her operations uniform. Her mind scrambles for an excuse though she doesn’t speak.

General Ze gives her a grim look. Alex is glad her operations uniform conceals her heartbeat.

“Alex, I know you have plans to be assigned to Kara, but I’m afraid that’s just become impossible for the near future.”

Alex’s fists clench as she prepares to launch a verbal assault at her commanding officer, not caring about the consequences of her actions.

“Alex, it involves your mother,” Astra continues before Alex can speak.

The blind fury that’s boiled over in Alex is suddenly frozen. She’s been careful not to think of her mother over the years, but an unknown terror steals her strength and makes her feel like she’s five years old again.

“I-is she…?”

“She’s alive, Alex, but something has happened. You’re being promoted to a ranking member of the guild effective immediately. We need you in the field and not just running training-level operations. It’s important; many lives _will_ be lost if we don’t act.” General Ze’s jaw flexes as she gives Alex a serious look, and Alex understands that there’s a question in her series of statements.

Alex’s heart falls when she thinks of how peaceful Kara looked this morning, snug in the circle of her arms. She knows what Kara would do with people’s lives at stake. The things she’s already had to keep from Kara weigh heavily on her, and she isn’t sure how she could look Kara in the eye knowing she didn’t act when she was needed.

She mourns silently for the barest second before straightening her back. “Yes, General. I’m ready.”

“I’m glad you got to see her last night,” Astra says in a low voice. She turns on her heel before Alex can respond.

Alex can only swallow around the lump in her throat and follow.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone inquired last time about escalated chapter posts. Unfortunately, that was if my writing for this was going exceptionally well. If anything, my writing rates for this have been below average, but that tends to happen with longer works once I've reached a certain point where I want to be sure everything is *right*. Rest assured, the posts will never fall under the once a week minimum. Sundays will be reliable. We're over the halfway mark with this chapter. :)
> 
> Depictions of violence and some torture in this chapter - nothing more graphic than canon.

* * *

The halls of the compound are dark as Alex silently makes her way to her objective. She can make out the faint edges of the vine-like metal that lines most Kryptonian structures - a byproduct of how altered crystals originally from Krypton interact with Earth’s different atmosphere she’s learned - and the dim rhombohedron crystals hovering near the ceiling.

Normally the sensors would pick up her body heat and light the way, but discretion is required; the less attention she draws to herself the better.

The guards are aware that there’s a specialized investigator here, but not much else. Who she is and what she is are being kept on a need to know basis, and for good reason. Few know of her position with the military guild, and those that are aware of her think she works solely for their research division in a lab.

Detection isn’t an issue, at least not in the common sense. She goes over the details of General Ze’s report in her head as she proceeds.

A biological weapon had somehow been planted in one of the military guild dormitories of Kandor - the dormitories often used by Kryptonians not from noble families - and every person that had visited had been infected.

Well, every _Kryptonian_ visitor. The area is currently under quarantine, and the general needs more information about the substance.

Alex has been summoned because of her unique coalescence of interests and near immunity to the substance. She’s excelled in the sciences, and with her added knowledge of magic she’s uniquely qualified to identify the contagion. Her own interest is personal.

The tests done on the afflicted Kryptonian soldiers revealed altered brain chemistry similar to only one other patient that General Ze’s healers had treated: Alex’s mother.

The Kryptonians’ symptoms are more extreme than Eliza’s even though they’d been exposed for a much shorter time than her mother had. The analysts had drawn the same conclusion General Ze had - the biological weapon Eliza had been forced to work on was engineered specifically to work on Kryptonians. While the trail back to the House Nis is troublesome, the first leg of Alex’s investigation is more important. The substance must be identified so that a proper treatment can be created.

Alex tries not to think of the impact this could have on her mother’s condition, but doing so proves difficult.

The sensor in Alex’s hand begins to beep a warning, and Alex focuses on her current situation. She’s reached the point where symptoms had begun showing up for some of the first soldiers sent to secure the scene.

Limited review of the area at a distance hadn’t revealed any anomalies, but Alex is very aware of the limitations of Kryptonian security. She shakes her head. The arrogance of most Kryptonians about their superior technologies has blinded most to the real vulnerabilities in their systems. Security is tighter at entry points, but areas such as the dormitories only garner perfunctory measures of protection.

She reaches up to tug on the fabric of her uniform, creating her favored hood and mask. The suit should provide a modicum of protection. Though they believe humans are only influenced after prolonged contact with the mystery substance, Alex prefers to err on the side of caution.

A tall set of doors comes into view, and Alex touches a panel to open them. She takes a deep breath before stepping into the dormitory. The sensor she’s brought along proves to be next to useless after only a few minutes when a more thorough scan reveals nothing out of the ordinary. The sensor is tucked into a pocket near her hip with a scowl.

Alex considers what she knows. The substance, whatever it is, only functions in a limited area but for a sustained amount of time. Due to the heightened senses of the soldiers that live in the dormitory in conjunction with the limitations to exposure, Alex doesn’t believe any gas is involved. A dispersal device _is_ possible, but Alex’s gut twinges against the thought. Mera’s taught her that her instincts are influenced by Order, and she should follow them in most cases.

She begins to scrutinize the walls around her, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Alex knows dormitories like this with their neat little rows of bunks and storage lockers, having inspected every inch of her own over the years when loneliness tore at her like a pack of hungry wolves. She’s determined to uncover any discrepancies.

After nearly half an hour of searching, she finds nothing out of the ordinary. She scowls and heads to a control matrix tucked off into a corner, tugging at the small crystal to wake the support functions of the room.

The rhombohedrons above Alex glow into life, and Alex immediately feels a difference in the room. She tugs the sensor from her pocket as she stares up at the crystals. There’s just a tiny difference in energy readings in two of the crystals. When she looks closer, she can see a minute discrepancy in the color of light the two crystals exude. The support functions are flicked off without hesitation.

She reaches out with an arm and black fabric shoots out in a shadowy reach, and a moment later she’s hanging upside down with her feet braced against the ceiling. Her senses are screaming out at her that she’s found what she came for. It’s tempting to grab the rhombohedron for an examination, but the retrieval needs to be careful. She can see a slender line cut into one of the crystal’s edges. The crystals should be flawless. Alex marvels at the ingenuity. When the rhombohedrons are active, so is the mystery substance.

Her drop down to the floor makes no sound, and she exits the dormitory. She tugs her hood down when she’s some distance away and keys at her comm. “I believe I’ve identified where the substance is located. I’ll be requiring a few things to safely extract it. This was definitely no accident.”

Three hours later Alex is back in her lab just outside of Argo City, glaring down at two of the glowing red fragments of crystal that combined are smaller than her pinkie. They’re secured in a specialized container for now, but Alex’s stomach twists all the same. Two tiny pieces of this had driven over a dozen soldiers mad. Luckily injuries had been minimal, but the soldiers had been stopped mid-flight on their way to a human town.

Alex shudders to think what might have happened if the entire facility had been contaminated and the soldiers had completed their journey.

“So this is it, hm?” Astra asks in a modulated voice from behind Alex.

Alex turns so she can face the general, but her attention is split between her company and the offending crimson crystals.

“Yes. It’s a form of synthetic Kryptonite, but one like we haven’t seen before. Kryptonite poisoning usually fades after a certain time away with sun exposure, but this somehow permanently alters brain chemistry.” Alex takes a deep breath as her jaw works. “Furthermore, the crystals they were stored in served as both a suppressant and an enhancer depending on if support functions were disabled or not. This level of development on synthetic Kryptonite is unheard of. Eliza Danvers needs to be questioned.”

“I agree,” General Ze says, “but first I want you to work on some form of treatment for this. I’ve got fourteen good soldiers locked in isolation.”

Alex frowns. “Isolation?”

The lines around Astra’s mouth seem to deepen as she purses her lips. “They were divided into four cells, but after a short while they tried to kill each other. We need treatment for this, Alex. As you’re aware, relations with humans are already tense. Can you imagine what would have happened if my men had reached that town?”

Alex stares at General Ze grimly. That scenario is only one of many that Alex has considered. Though she believes that her mother might be able to provide some information on the synthetic Kryptonite, there’s no guarantee in Eliza’s current condition.

“I’ll get started,” Alex says in lieu of commenting on Astra’s rhetorical question.

*****

Kara scowls down at the letter she’s started and stopped several times in the last several days. It’s been a week since Alex has turned eighteen, and there hasn’t been a word from Alex since she’d appeared on the night of Kara’s birthday.

Kara leans back in her chair with a sigh, bringing her arms up and hugging them to herself. It had been dreadful waking up alone, but the lack of contact has been the worst. Alex should have been back by now, taking up quarters in the Fortress of El that she never sets foot in because she’s always with Kara.

Sometimes she thinks that Alex’s sudden appearance had just been a dream - a wonderful, thrilling dream that had been too good to be true.

The sparse words she’s managed to write on the thin slip of paper glare at up at her from the looming white. She’s afraid to write this, afraid what she might say and yet also afraid that the letter will never be seen.

News that there’d been an event in Kandor had passed through the nobility in hushed whispers. Specifics are unknown other than it had involved Kryptonians and a possible quarantine.

The moment Kara had heard, her heart felt like it might have dropped to her stomach. Kandor. Kandor, where Alex’s mother lives. The timing had felt too much like a coincidence, especially with Alex’s absence. She doesn’t want Alex anywhere near Kandor or mysterious illnesses, but Kara can’t even be sure that’s where Alex is since, yet again, Alex hasn’t contacted her to inform her of _anything_.

It had been easier to overlook the lack of correspondence when Kara had thought Alex would be joining her soon. The worry that had threatened to settle in the pit of her stomach like heavy stones had been kept at bay with the thought of Alex returning to her side again.

Kara wants to be understanding, but she’s very tired of the people around her deciding what she shouldn’t be told. She hasn’t faced the challenge of the Rite of Ascendance, but it’s less than a year away. She’s old enough to know, old enough to be involved.

The longer she goes without hearing from Alex, the angrier she becomes.

There’s a cracking sound, and then Kara’s scowling down at the fractured pen in her hand. Her letter is ruined with dripping black ink. She grits her teeth as she feels her eyes warm just slightly, shaking her head to stop the heat from growing. It’s been a long time since she’s accidentally set anything on fire.

She rises with a grunt to rid herself of the ruined paper and pen, careful not to get ink everywhere. A quick trip to her bathing chamber resolves the issue of the spilled ink on her skin. She’s contemplating leaving her rooms to visit Kal as she returns to her bedroom, only for her head to jerk up when she realizes she’s not alone.

Standing in the middle of her room wearing her black uniform and a tired smile is Alex. Her hair is windswept, and it’s clear to Kara that Alex has recently come in from outside. Her stomach lurches at the thought of Alex clinging to the jagged crystal of the fortress to reach the high tower.

“What are you doing here?” she asks sharply, still thinking of Alex’s too fragile form shattered on the ground.

The smile on Alex’s face disappears. “I wanted to see you.”

The words, paired with Alex’s suspicious entrance, make the acid in Kara’s stomach churn. The anger from before begins to rise. “Why? It’s clear that you don’t care about keeping your promises, or about me.” Kara has to swallow around a sudden well of sadness. “You couldn’t even be bothered to send me _one_ message in nearly two months.”

Alex takes a step forward, a hand rising as if to reach out. “Kara, there’s a lot going on. There’s a lot you don’t kno--”

“And whose fault is that?” Kara snaps before Alex can finish. “How many times have I asked you to tell me? How many times have I asked for a _hint_ about anything you do? Do you just feel _obligated_ to be here, like my parents? Well if that’s all it is, don’t worry! I release you of your obligations.”

The words come out in a tidal wave of long-kept fears, and Kara immediately regrets voicing them aloud.

Alex’s hand drops, and she just stares at Kara for a few moments. Kara is terrified that she’ll leave.

“Do you want me to go?” Alex asks in a whisper. Her voice shakes, and Kara can see the threat of tears in her eyes.

“No,” Kara blurts as she rushes forward, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I mean, I did mean some of that but, no, I don’t want you to go. I’m just...Alex, it hurts me when I don’t know what’s going on with you. I need you.”

Kara stops in front of Alex, peering intently down at her. Oh, how she’s missed Alex.

There’s a wry smile on Alex’s lips as she tilts her head. “No you don’t.”

“Yes, I do,” Kara says without hesitation.

The moment between them is heavy as they stare at one another. It’s broken when Alex takes a deep breath, briefly closing her eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t send you a message. I was in a difficult situation.”

“Tell me, please.” At Alex’s worried look, Kara rolls her eyes. “I don’t necessarily mean anything classified, but please tell me what you can.”

Alex’s lips curve into a small smile. “Okay.” She moistens her lips, hand twitching as she looks down.

Kara bites the inside of her cheek at the old habit. Alex would always do that when she wanted to reach out to touch Kara in public, but was resisting for propriety’s sake. Alex had never wanted to cause Kara undue troubles.

There’s a tightness in Kara’s chest when she does what she’s done every other time she’s seen that look - reaches out and takes Alex’s hand into hers.

Alex stares down at their hands a moment before entwining their fingers. She tugs lightly, leading Kara over to the space in front of the bed.

It’s odd for Kara to sit with Alex like this. The last time they’d done so, Alex had been the taller one. Kara had enjoyed using her friend’s shoulder as a pillow, but the old position hardly seems comfortable.

Her breath catches when she looks up and finds Alex sending her a crooked smile.

“Here,” Alex says as she scoots back against the bed and holds her arm out parallel to the ground.

Kara feels warm happiness course through her as she maneuvers and curls herself into Alex’s side, glorying at the feel of the weight of Alex’s arm around her shoulder. She sighs and closes her eyes. If Alex can’t spend the night again, this memory will help sustain Kara until the next time.

There’s several minutes of quiet absorption before Alex speaks. “I’m sure you’ve heard some rumors about Kandor.”

“Yes,” Kara says tentatively.

She can feel Alex nod. “Okay, to understand that situation a little better, first there’s more you need to know.”

*****

Alex’s heart pounds under her uniform as she considers what she’s about to say that has almost nothing to do with the real reason she’d risked the trip in broad daylight to the Fortress of El.

Kara’s need for information will serve as a good enough diversion, and perhaps it’s best if Alex doesn’t dwell on other things. Technically the information she’s about to divulge is sensitive, but Alex’s pledge is to the House of El, and Kara _is_ the House of El as far as she’s concerned.

“I’m ready,” Kara insists in a soft voice.

Alex holds her breath for a moment, closing her eyes before she settles herself and makes a decision. “Okay. It’s going to sound like a lot, but that’s because it is. The first thing you need to know is that New Krypton as you know it doesn’t exist.”

Kara straightens, leaning her weight on her hand placed hastily behind Alex. “What do you mean?”

“Earth has _not_ been totally united under Kryptonian rule. There are still a few places that remain entirely free of your people, some of which are populated by non-humans. The world isn’t as entirely peaceful as the council would have you believe.” The room seems too quiet to Alex’s ears as she waits for Kara’s response.

To her surprise, Kara only frowns. “That makes sense. Earth is far larger than Old Krypton. It seems reasonable considering that the population of Kryptonians that fled Old Krypton numbered only in the millions. It also puts some things my parents have said into context.”

The small furrow of concentration between Kara’s eyes has Alex suppressing a smile. She clears her throat. “Your family has been doing its best to maintain peace between the varied groups that remain free of Kryptonian influence, but that isn’t always easy. In addition to that, Dru-Zod of the Eastern Hemisphere is troubled by the changes in this half of New Krypton.”

“He doesn’t like that we’ve freed the humans,” Kara says in a flat voice.

Alex’s lips twitch. She nods once. “Amongst other things. He’s made it clear that he feels the Western part of New Krypton is growing soft and usurping old traditions, though he concedes that the difference in ideals is what led his father to split off from your grandfather in the beginning.”

“Has there been fighting?” Kara’s face is pinched with concern.

“No.” Alex takes a deep breath and glances away. “Something else is going on, something else that we’re trying to figure out. There haven’t been any direct confrontations with Zod or any other factions, but things keep _happening_ that we can’t quite explain.”

Alex’s mouth thins into a grim line. There had been another, smaller incident with Kryptonians going rogue in some of the more remote locations in the northern territory just yesterday. Alex is glad that there is no gossip on the occurrence. There’d been a body count, one that she’d been forced to contribute to. She feels queasy at remembering the scene.

“Like what? Kandor?” Kara asks.

The unsettled look Kara sends her is almost Alex’s undoing. Kara still doesn’t know exactly what she does - or the fact that the majority of her training has revolved around efficient ways to kill - and it almost hurts to see the innocent concern on Kara’s face.

“Yes,” Alex says hesitantly. “The rumors about Kandor are partially true. There was an incident, and some people were infected. It wasn’t like any illness or disease any of us have seen. The main reason I’ve been unable to contact you is that I’m part of a team that’s been investigating these incidences and looking for a way to treat what we’ve now come to understand is an odd type of synthetic Kryptonite poisoning.”

The words taste like a lie even though they aren’t. Alex tries to convince herself she’s not ashamed of what she is; every kill she’s had to make has been in self defense or the defense of others. Still, it’s hard to see the proud smile on Kara’s face and not feel like a charlatan.

“I guess if you have be off saving the world that’s a good excuse for not contacting me.” Kara’s eyes shimmer with something that just might be hero worship. Alex’s stomach flips.

“Well, saving the world might be exaggerating a little, but I know I helped.” And Alex has to look away to try and forget the empty look of the young Kryptonian soldier whose life she’d ended, instead thinking of the teary faces of the human family she’d kept from harm.

General Ze had mourned the loss of the soldier, but had confirmed that Alex had acted commendably. If Alex focuses on the family, she can even believe that.

She isn’t sure how long she’s lost in her thoughts when Kara suddenly hugs her. Her throat works as she tries to swallow, and then she’s returning the hug. Kara has always known exactly what Alex needs without saying a word.

As she absorbs the comfort of the hug, she remembers that everything she does is to protect Kara. Some of the queasiness in her stomach dissipates. The soldier’s death will not be in vain; an examination of his body could even help lead to a cure, or better yet, immunization. She doesn’t want to consider what might happen if Kara or anyone else Kara loves is infected. The thought is anathema.

“There’s a lot going on, so I won’t be able to join you here full time yet. I’m close to a cure, I know it. Even then, that’s only one part of the investigation.” She swallows and pulls Kara closer. “I will join you here as soon as I can, and until then I promise to visit when I can.”

Kara holds her quietly and Alex revels in the in the feel of Kara; warm and deceptively soft. The blonde hair that feathers against her cheek carries the smell she’s adored since she was a child.

“I hope you can come home soon,” Kara says in a low voice.

Alex stops breathing. Home isn’t the Fortress of El, and she wonders if Kara knows that. She pulls back a little from the hug, nibbling at her bottom lip as she contemplates the tender look on Kara’s face. She brings her right hand up and under the edge of her uniform, fumbling with the tiny pocket on the inside.

She takes a shaky breath and holds up the extremely frayed piece of paper. The folded edges have already started to tear in some places. _Home is where you are_ , she wants to say. “I hope so too,” she says instead.

Kara stares at the paper, her lips parting in surprise. It was worn before two months before, surely, but it seems the picture is about to come apart at the creases. “Can you stay the night?” she asks when she looks back up at Alex.

The _please_ is unspoken, but Alex can read it in the intensity of her gaze and the small lines around her mouth. Alex’s lips pull up into a small smile as she nods. General Ze knows where she is, and Alex needs this. Alex needs Kara.

They spend the evening talking quietly and sharing low laughter, finally falling asleep as they stare up at the stars.

When Alex wakes up the next morning, there’s a folded piece of paper next to her on the pillow. Breathing proves difficult and tears sting her eyes when she opens it and finds a new sketch, this time with both her and Kara. Their faces are close as they smile at one another.

Love is all Alex sees. Her fingers dance over the image with reverence, and Alex knows that she’ll be able to complete her mission with such excellent motivation. She stops when she notices a small line of writing hidden between the small space between their bodies.

_I’ll be waiting._

*****

On the day of Kara’s eighteenth birthday, Kara spends a fair amount of time admiring her newly acquired uniform. It’s form fitting, made out of a sturdy synthetic fabric that can withstand about as many things as Kara can. Though a majority of the judiciary guild spends its time discussing, creating, and executing laws, there are a few branches that work in conjunction with the military guild. Kara hopes to be a part of one of these as soon as she is able.

“You know, blue is really your color.”

Kara turns hurriedly from her meticulous examination of her new uniform.

“Alex.” The word is little more than a breathy whisper. She rushes forward and pulls Alex into a hug, careful to only use a tiny fraction of her strength. “I didn’t think you’d make it,” she murmurs.

“Miss your Ascendance? Never.”

Kara squeezes her eyes shut, pulling Alex minutely closer. She’d done her best to focus during the trials of the Rite, but she’d spared several precious moments mourning not having Alex here to witness one of the most important events of her life.

Her combat had been sloppy with her emotions creeping in, but she’d managed to score well enough to complete her Ascendance. Kara feels heat in her cheeks when she considers that maybe Alex witnessed her ineptitude. She’d passed the tests of her knowledge and acumen with flying colors, at least.

“It’s been a while since your last visit,” Kara says as the hug ends and she takes a step backward. There’s an awkwardness between them that’s lingered in Alex’s last few visits, and Kara can’t explain why it makes her oh so very sad.

“Sorry,” Alex says with a wry twist of her lips, “but the latest incident in Rao City has kept me busy.”

“Right, yeah.” Kara nods and smiles, but the smile is forced. It’s there again, that awkward distance between them. She wonders if it would disappear if she would just reach out and take Alex’s hand, but for some inexplicable reason Kara finds herself too scared to do so.

She’s been scared to do a lot since the last time Alex had visited - they’d gotten into a stupid fight Kara can’t even remember, but she worries that it has something to do with the long gap between Alex’s visits.

Alex combs a hand through her hair before meeting Kara’s eyes. “You did pretty good out there.”

Kara’s cheeks flush. “I was sloppy in the physical challenge, but the rest wasn’t so bad. Sen-Ras talked to me a bit about it before, and I think that helped.”

Something changes in Alex’s face, the angles of it almost seeming harder. “I doubt it. You never give yourself enough credit.”

Snippets of the fight come rushing back then, vague notions about all the help Kara had been receiving from Sen-Ras in preparations for the Rite. Kara had said some things she’d regretted, things she knew would hurt Alex. She’d barely had the chance to blurt out an apology before Alex had taken off.

She steps forward suddenly and reaches for Alex, half afraid the hug will be rejected. When Alex just opens her arms, Kara could cry with relief. “I’m sorry about last time,” she whispers as she nudges her face closer to the curtain of Alex’s hair.

Alex releases a shaky breath. “I’m sorry too. I was being...difficult. I just get jealous that someone else gets so much time with you.”

Kara laughs and shakes her head. “I’d gladly give up all of my time with my friends if it meant I could see you more.”

Alex snorts in response, making Kara’s grin widen painfully.

“I’m not _that_ greedy,” Alex mutters as the hug ends. She clears her throat and glances away, scratching at the side of her nose. “Mostly.”

“ _I’m_ that greedy.” Kara smirks at Alex, who rolls her eyes.

Again Alex looks away, and there’s a sudden shift in mood. “I, uh, actually came today because I have some news.”

When Alex hesitates, Kara blows out an impatient breath. “Just tell me.”

“Well, since the cure has worked remarkably well the last couple of times, my part in the investigation is coming to a close.” Alex’s words come out slow and measured.

Kara’s heart picks up its beat. She tries not to focus on the selfish hope that pushes forward in her mind. “Is your mom doing any better?”

Alex looks away. “Human and Kryptonian physiology are a little too different. I guess you could say she’s improving. She was quiet the last time I visited.”

The stiff set to Alex’s shoulders has Kara reaching forward, and she carefully entwines their fingers in support. “That’s something. I know she’ll get better, Alex. She loves you, I know it.”

The room is quiet as Alex stares down at their hands. She nods once and clears her throat. “Anyway, this last disturbance in Rao City was a little too overt, and your Aunt thinks it’s time that these outbreaks became public knowledge. Gossip is spreading anyway, and, uh I only have one more big thing to do before the subject of red Kryptonite is brought before the council.”

Kara squeezes her hand in encouragement when Alex hesitates again.

“When I’m finished, I could request a transfer back here to Argo City. I don’t know if I’d be approved to work in the Fortress of El, but--”

Alex is cut off when Kara squeals in delight, pulling her back into another hug. She laughs at Kara’s childlike glee, obviously relieved at the response.

“Are you kidding? With Kal and I both having real political power now, there’s no way you’ll be disapproved. Kal’s been practically making all of the day-to-day decisions with both of our parents stuck handling world relations anyway.”

Kara is exuberant as the hug ends, already considering all the things she can do with Alex once she returns. If things work out, they might even end up working together out in the field. The prospect is thrilling.

“You know, I heard J’onn was looking into other work now that he’s trained the last scion of El. Do you think he’ll remain stationed here?” Alex’s arms are crossed as she tries to act nonchalant.

Kara sees right through the act, rolling her eyes. “Are you kidding? He’s so upset you never visit him that the moment he hears you’re back, he’ll stay _just_ to give you the silent treatment.”

Alex grins then, and Kara releases a happy sigh. The awkwardness is gone, and she hopes it stays that way for good. Things will be better once she and Alex can see each other regularly again. It means a lot to her that Alex made the effort to be here today to witness her Ascendance.

A thought occurs to Kara. She can’t keep it to herself. “Alex,” she begins hesitantly, “did you watch the entire Rite?”

“Of course,” Alex says with a nod.

Kara bites at the inside of her cheek. Alex always looks so serious. “So you saw my actual Ascendance?”

Alex puffs her chest out with pride as she sends Kara an equally proud look. “Yes.”

Kara’s stomach flutters at the look, and she walks over to one of the large crystal windows that are usually kept open. She takes a deep breath and admires the evening sky, half turning and extending a hand to Alex. “Come with me.”

Alex looks stunned, but she takes a cautious step forward. “Are you sure this is okay?”

“No, but this is something I want to share with you. Will you join me?” The words come out sounding oddly formal. It’s only when she’s holding Alex close to her side and about to take off that Kara understands why; the phrase is suspiciously close to another rather important phrase.

She tells herself that it’s the beauty of the setting sun that takes her breath away - not the look of wonder on Alex’s face as she looks down at the distant landscape. Flying is still new to Kara, but she doubts any other moment will ever feel as extraordinary as this one.

“Want to try out a few tricks?” Kara asks when Alex’s grip on her shoulder becomes too distracting.

The devilish smile Alex flashes at her is answer enough, and a thrill races down Kara’s spine.

“Here we go,” Kara says a moment before she turns so that her back is to the ground and her front is pressed firmly into Alex’s.

Alex’s hands grip at her tightly a moment before they plummet downward and into Kara’s first attempt at a loop. The attempt is sloppy but exciting, and the duo laughs as their hearts race.

They fly long after the sun has set, admiring the closer look at the stars before returning to the quiet safety of Kara’s rooms.

When Kara wakes in the morning to find Alex gone, the ache in her chest is surprisingly tolerable. There’s a plate of sweet sticky buns resting on the window sill, and she smiles as she bites into the first one.

Alex will be home again soon.

*****

Alex stares at the dark and dense walls, knowing they’re thick enough to withstand a great deal of abuse. She thinks they’re a waste since this particular facility is already underground. Still, she admits it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.

“How long has he been under there?” General Ze asks from her position in front of a control matrix.

Alex looks through the security window into the cell where a a pale and sweaty Cirl-Nis is strapped down to an uncomfortable chair. The red sun lights over his head paint ghastly shadows on his face.

“Long enough,” Alex says with a shrug. According to the security logs he’d only been fed once in Alex’s time away - with the red sun lights still on. Twenty-four hours under the altered light will be having lasting effects now; even if they turn them off, he’d need at least several days under Sol to regain some of his normal strength. “I strapped him in myself about an hour ago with little resistance.”

“Good,” Astra says as she flicks the red sun lights off. “I’m taking point.”

“Yes, General.” Alex isn’t surprised, falling into step alongside Astra as they make their way into Cirl-Nis’s cell.

As the cell shuts behind them silently, General Ze looks solemn. “We meet again, Cirl-Nis.”

“General Ze,” Cirl blurts out exuberantly, “you’ve come at the right time. I’ve been kidnapped. The House of Nis must be in an uproar with my disappearance.”

“Not at all, Cirl,” Astra says evenly. She walks further into the cell, circling in front of Cirl to stare down at him. “As far as anyone knows, you’re spending a few days of quiet reflection in the Sun Caves.”

“B-but,” he stutters out with wide eyes.

“But nothing, Cirl-Nis. You have been detained by my people because you are a traitor.” Astra holds up a hand when he would speak, shaking her head. “We have already proven your guilt without a doubt. You are here to confess to your crimes.”

Cirl-Nis looks stunned, but panic sets in after a moment. He looks wildly around the room and settles his gaze on Alex. “L-look, there’s been some sort of mistake, perhaps you could talk some sense into the general.”

Astra chuckles wickedly, a sneer growing on her face as she walks over to Alex. “You think _she_ will help you, Cirl-Nis? Do you not recognize her?”

The cell is eerily quiet as he stares at Alex.

Alex does her best not to react, though she’s pleased to have been the one to personally retrieve this man. He’d nearly soiled himself when Alex’s sword had left a tiny cut on his throat.

The last bit of color drains from Cirl-Nis’s face after a prolonged look. He doesn’t verbally respond, and Alex honestly isn’t sure if he’s remembering her as a child or just her as his captor.

Astra nods and paces slowly across the cell as she addresses him again. “Something has always puzzled me. Perhaps you can help me understand. When you brought a young Alexandra Danvers to Argo City, you told me that you held her parents in high regard.”

She stops her pacing and turns to stare at him. “Your regard is a worrisome thing if you think tearing a young child away from her family is a reward.” She leans over Cirl-Nis, sneer still in place and raises a hand.

There’s the sound of a small snick as a dagger is unsheathed. Alex steps forward automatically, a stoic look on her face as she places the dagger in Astra’s open palm.

Sweat begins trickling down Cirl-Nis’s face.

“Now,” Astra says as she holds up the wickedly curved steel dagger, “you will tell me of your regard for the soldiers of New Krypton. They have suffered under it long enough.”

Alex is stoic when the cutting begins. Though most physical brands of punishment have been deemed barbaric by the council, they’re not technically illegal when used against non-Kryptonian citizens. Houses such as Nis that work further away from the main cities have always favored corporal punishment for their humans, and Alex has no pity for him.

Cirl-Nis’s citizenship was forfeit the moment Alex had confirmed the origin site of the manufactured red Kryptonite was a set of his own private labs.

When he cries out, Alex’s mind is drawn to a distant memory of the lone public disciplinary hearing she’d been forced to watch back in Midvale. The humans on trial then had a lot to say once metal met flesh.

When the ground is stained crimson and Cirl-Nis breaks, Alex decides that there is little difference between humans and Kryptonians after all.

“Do you believe him?” Alex asks some time later as she’s cleaning her dagger.

“Partially. I don’t relish torture, but I will do what I have to in order to protect my people. We will need to verify his claims. I believe that another House could be involved, but one of the Great Houses?” Astra frowns down at her crystal display, entering some hurried commands.

“I’ll get started now.” Alex sheathes her dagger at her hip and straightens from her position leaning against the wall.

“No,” Astra says as she turns to face Alex, “I will look into these matters myself. I still mean to have you present our findings to the council. It is time more resources are devoted to this matter. If avarice can corrupt such a large House as Nis, there is much work to be done.”

“Yes, General.” Though Alex would rather continue investigating, part of her is relieved.

“Your place is by Kara’s side now that she’s a member of the judiciary guild. In such troubled times, I’d rather have you watching over her. She’s seeking a place in Kal’s human advocacy division, and you will be the perfect choice as a liaison for the military guild.”

Alex doesn’t bother hiding her smile. “Yes, General.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was actually super busy this week so this chapter might still have small errors. I'm still out of town so decided to post this slightly early since I'll probably be busy for the rest of the day.

* * *

Kara’s scarcely gotten dressed in her new uniform when there’s a soft knock at her door. Few people visit her here in her private rooms. “Yes?” she calls out.

The door opens, revealing a smiling Kal-El. “Kara, are you occupied?”

“Not at all, Kal. Come in.” Kara is in good spirits. If anyone asks she’ll mention having sticky buns for breakfast.

Kal’s grin widens, and so do Kara’s eyes when he enters the room fully. His blue uniform is different, the symbol for their House raised in crimson rather than matching the tones of the rest of his garment.

“Do you like it?” Kal asks as he looks down. “It’s part of a new look I’m trying. Lois and I have talked it over, and I want a unique look that humans will come to associate with real justice, rather than what they’ve come to expect from us.”

Kara’s surprise fades, and she tilts her head. “You think bringing more focus to El will make the humans like us more? Kal,” she says with a sigh.

“Like I said, it’s _part_ of a new look. That’s actually why I’m here.” Kal crosses his arms, inadvertently flexing his muscles.

“I don’t totally disagree with that idea, but Kal...one look at you like that and those people will be terrified.” Kara settles a hand on her hip and shakes her head, frowning at his flexing muscles.

“I’m getting a cloak made, and some boots. I was wondering if you might consider wearing them too,” Kal continues, undaunted by her dismay.

Kara snorts. “Oh, I see. I don’t look as intimidating as you, so that’s your plan. You do realize that it’s going to take a lot of work to change their minds about us. Just changing our uniforms isn’t enough.”

Kal deflates minutely, his smile becoming wry. “No, of course it’s not. I know we can’t erase decades of slavery in a moment. I know that justice has been anything but just for them, but that’s exactly why I want to change our look. I want to show that we’re different from what they’ve known.”

“ _Are_ we different from what they’ve known?” Kara asks.

“I hope so.”

Kal looks wistful, and for a moment Kara can picture him as a boy. In an instant she imagines what it would be like if he were twelve years younger rather than older, more like a little brother than anything. It’s a jarring concept, and she lets out an unsteady breath. “Alright.”

He brightens, and the image of him as a boy is reinforced. “I want to wear it to the next council meeting.”

“You mean my first official council meeting? Of course; of course you would want that,” Kara says with a groan as she covers her face with a hand. She can’t deny him of course, not the only family that has made steady time for her over the years - even when she was angry with him. She chuckles to herself.

They’ll stand out, of course, but then again they always have. Kara knows the nobles whisper that Kal is a bad influence on her. Considering that Kal has been the one that’s pushed so hard to find some semblance of equality for humans, Kara has long made her decision. If Kal is a bad influence, Kara gladly embraces it.

“I _just_ got my uniform and you already want me to change it and no doubt worry the council with our obvious alignment. Alright, Kal.”

It irks her that Kal is obviously so pleased with her concession. “We’re already family Kara, I think they know that we’re aligned.”

“My mother and aunt are twins and they’re hardly aligned,” Kara replies in a mumble.

“They’re aligned in their love for Krypton,” Kal retorts jovially.

Kara’s lips twitch besides herself. Kal is lucky that Alex had paid her a visit the evening before; though Kara had been pleased to complete her Rite, Alex’s pointed absence from such an event would have wounded Kara immeasurably.

“You know, if you’d have sent Lois I probably would have agreed right away.”

Kal makes a face and then shrugs. He looks away. “She’s collecting her sister from a military guild escort this morning.”

“Alone?” Kara asks in surprise, reaching out to rest a hand on Kal’s arm.

“We both thought it would be better this way,” Kal admits in a soft voice. “Lucy’s sponsors weren’t kind to her, Kara.”

“But Kal, they’ll be the only humans in all of Argo City, is it really safe?” Kara asks reflexively. Though most of New Krypton has been amenable to the changes in the Human Rights Assertion, there are a more than a few that are insulted by the push to recognize humans as citizens.

“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.” At Kara’s continued worry, Kal rolls his eyes. “Lois is a master in Klurkor and she keeps a Kryptonite dagger with her at all times.”

“You gave her a Kryptonite dagger?” Kara asks in a high-pitched voice.

Kal laughs deeply and shakes his head. “Nope, she got it herself around when she turned sixteen. I didn’t ask then, and I certainly won’t ask now. Lois can take care of herself.”

His admiration is apparent, and Kara thinks of Alex. Kara smiles. She knows all about what Kal means. It’s on the tip of her tongue to say that Alex is the same, but Kara hesitates. She still hasn’t told anyone about her contact with Alex, not even Kal.

She thinks Lois suspects _something_ , but Lois has never bothered to confront her about it. Kara is grateful. She’s not ashamed of her friendship with Alex, but it is a precious secret, something special that only she and Alex know about.

A change of topic is in order. “How old is Lucy now?”

“Twenty-one. Old enough to make her own decisions. I know Lois is glad to finally be seeing her again in person.” Kal walks over to Kara’s window, making Kara wonder if he’s using his super vision to check on Lois despite his assurances.

“How long has it been since they’ve seen each other?” Kara’s curiosity is piqued.

Kal looks solemn as he stares out at the city. “Not since Lucy was thirteen. They’ve called each other a bit over the years, but that’s been sporadic at best.”

“Lucy is very brave to come here, given what you’ve insinuated about her sponsors.” Kara’s voice hitches. In her quest to enlighten herself on the world, she’s discovered many troubling accounts of how her people have treated the natives of Earth. She doesn’t want to imagine what Lucy could have been subjected to. She and Kal truly have their work cut out for themselves when it comes to making diplomatic headway with the human population.

“Lois is all Lucy has left.” Kal’s voice echoes hollowly, and Kara thinks she sees guilt and something else in his face when he turns to offer her a weak smile.

“Not all. When she’s here, hopefully we can show her that any family of Lois’s is also ours.” _And when Alex is here, hopefully Lucy can feel a little less outnumbered_ , Kara silently adds.

*****

Alex is silent as she disembarks the transport. The hangar is bustling despite the slowly setting sun, but no one pays her any mind. Kandor is a busy place, and with her military uniform Alex blends in perfectly.

She’s tempted to reach back and summon her sword, but she doesn’t. The comfort of the hilt in her hand isn’t worth the stares she’ll receive. Most Kryptonians don’t walk around armed, and Alex’s mission today is a simple one.

Kandor is all whimsical crests and jagged angles of pale pastel crystals. From her position on the concourse just outside of the travel hub, Alex can already see the soft pink crystal spires that belong to the Citadel of Ze. It’s smaller than its Argo City counterpart, but still impressively large. She makes her way to it resolutely.

Her hands threaten to tremble the closer she gets, and so she clenches them into fists.

When she reaches the imposing doors of the main reception hall, the guards give her respectful nods rather than try to stop her. She has no conventional rank as one of Krypton’s elite soldiers - none of them do - but the military guild members stationed at the citadel are aware that she _is_ one of the elite.

Life as a shadow suits Alex; at least that’s what she’s come to realize. She prefers to be ignored and allowed to do her business.

There’s no hesitation in her step as she makes her way to one of the service lifts and adjusts the crystal to take her to the appropriate floor.

There’s a tiny hum as the lift moves, and Alex is left staring out into a large hallway. There’s tall smooth crystal pillars here etched with the history of Old Krypton that glow as she walks past them. She ignores them, her focus on a small door on the left side of the hallway between two particular pillars.

Alex knocks at the door and tries to ignore her sweaty palms. Outwardly she looks as solemn as always with a straight back and shoulders.

The door opens without a word or acknowledgement, and then Alex is left staring at the haunted angles of her mother’s face.

“Alexandra,” Eliza says in a monotone voice. She doesn’t say anything else, only stepping back and turning away as if Alex hadn’t shown up at all.

Alex takes a breath and pushes past the door, closing it behind her as she watches her mother cross the room and exit toward the terrace. Eliza is in soft cotton brown robes that sweep backward in the air as she swiftly makes her escape.

Alex’s shoulders slump for a moment. The cure still hasn’t worked, not really. There’s an improvement; at least this time Eliza had spoken to her directly. When Alex had first been trying to work on the cure, Eliza had only shouted. Alex had been forced to interrogate her in a less friendly way, but her mother had responded more to her as authority figure than anything else.

She moves to the open doors that lead to the terrace to lean against the doorjamb.

The entirety of the terrace is taken up by her mother’s garden. General Ze had made the arrangements during Eliza’s initial recovery period. Gardening calms her mother, and Alex likes to think that’s due to memories of happier days they’d spent in their own garden as a family back in Midvale.

“Why have you come?” Eliza asks in the same monotone voice as she digs into a bare patch of soil.

“We’ve made an arrest in the red Kryptonite case.” When Eliza doesn’t respond, Alex continues. “Cirl-Nis.”

Eliza stops moving, staring down at the small even holes she’s created in the dark soil.

All at once Alex isn’t sure why she came here, why she bothered trying to reach her mother who’s long lived in another world. As she turns to go, her mother’s head turns to the side.

Alex freezes, startled to see steady tears trickling down her mother’s wan cheeks. Alex acts on instinct, sweeping forward and tugging her mother into a loose hug.

“Mom,” she whispers against her own will as she squeezes her eyes shut.

Eliza doesn’t return the embrace, but she doesn’t pull away either. Alex squeezes her just a little tighter.

Tears escape Alex’s eyes without permission as her mother remains stiff. Just as she’s about to pull away, she feels a brief press of a hand to her lower back. Alex feels like she could break.

She sucks in a shaky breath and pulls back, one hand remaining subconsciously on her mother’s arm.

Her free hand is used to wipe at her face, and she clears her throat. “A-are you okay?”

Eliza has stopped crying, but her face is forlorn. “He killed your father, Alex.”

Again Alex freezes, the world around her coming into sharp focus and blurring out again as she stares at her mother’s face. As she watches, Eliza’s expression slackens again into impassivity.

“Mom? I thought Dad died in accident. Mom, who killed dad? Cirl-Nis?” Alex begins to become desperate as her mother fails to respond. She has to take a deep breath and step back when she realizes that her grip is too tight on her mother’s arm.

She steps further back with shuddering breaths, trying to regain control of herself. Her mind wavers between rage and hope, before settling on rage. The small victory of reaching her mother today is lost in the wake of her mother’s admission.

Alex’s hands find their ways to her hips, her fingers brushing over the small dimensional pockets that hide her Kryptonite daggers. She’ll kill Cirl-Nis.

She spares a last wistful look at her mother, who’s returned to sedately attending the garden, before turning away.

Her mind is occupied with the questions she’d like to ask Cirl-Nis. He might not remember a single lowly servant, but Alex is convinced she can reach him if she carves the questions into his flesh.

Alex is unaware her teeth are bared in a fierce scowl - that is until she finds her path to the lift cut off by a familiar face.

“Sergeant Tan,” Alex blurts out in surprise.

Zura-Tan doesn’t smile, instead inclining her head respectfully. Her short black hair frames her face as perfectly as always, and despite her petite frame, Alex knows that Zura-Tan could take down the largest of Kryptonians. Sergeant Tan had been her instructor for Horu-Kanu, after all.

“You will stand down, Alex Danvers.” Zura-Tan looks serene, but Alex can see in her too-relaxed posture that she’s ready to move if she needs to.

Alex’s nostrils flare as she struggles with a gamut of emotions. Of course Eliza would be under guard - for her own safety, of course. “You heard what she said?” Alex’s chest heaves with the effort it takes to keep her temper under control.

“Yes.”

Zura-Tan doesn’t say anything else, merely remaining calm in the face of Alex’s rage.

“I-I need to...I _will_ get answers from him!” Alex’s fingers twitch as she considers going for her daggers. She doesn’t. She respects Zura-Tan, who hadn’t batted an eye at instructing a human in the deadliest fighting form that Krypton had ever produced.

She knows the moment Zura-Tan understands she won’t be initiating a physical confrontation. Zura-Tan’s face softens almost imperceptibly. “General Ze has been informed. No matter what happens, your orders are clear. You will go on to Argo City.”

Alex’s head dips for a moment. If General Ze has been informed of what Eliza has said, security will be tightened around Cirl-Nis already. She lets out a defeated breath. Alex has little chance slipping past the very people who trained her to infiltrate fortified compounds. Kryptonians don’t believe in executions; all Alex has to do is bide her time if she wants to question Cirl-Nis.

“Yes, Sergeant.”

*****

Kara can feel their stares the moment she and Kal enter the room. Though Kara is the proper heir that will one day rule, she trusts that Kal’s experience is superior to hers for the time being. She’s self-conscious of their new look, not just because of how it alters accepted and frequently seen uniforms, but for the color Kal has chosen.

Red, the color of their long distant Rao and the color associated for millennia with altruism and good. Kara is fully aware that the uniform will make waves in more ways than one.

She’d chosen to wear this in a joint effort to not only support Kal, but protect him. Though a noble member of the House of El, his machinations have often put him out of favor with the council. Kal could very well have been challenged by a council elder for his use of such a revered color, putting himself in a vulnerable position that could have resulted in sanctions limiting his political maneuvering.

The council would never dare to do so to Kara, and in fact would not be able to succeed in doing more than vocalizing a complaint. To stay in favor with the heir, such a complaint would never happen.

Kara keeps her head high as she and Kal make their way to the high chairs meant for scions of El. She has to force herself to remain calm. Kal’s heartbeat is slow and steady next to her, and Kara does her best to emulate his confidence. It’s difficult as they draw closer to the ornate metal chairs wrought with strategically placed crystals.

Her parents’ seats will remain empty, but how Kara wishes they were here. The crystals in Kara’s chair glow as she takes her seat, and she takes a steady look around the room. The seven elder council members are grim faced as they stare up at her and Kal from the half moon table that they’re seated at.

The rest of the council members are crowded in a seating area behind the table, and further still behind are witnesses to the meeting, the common Kryptonians without a House and the nobles too young to Ascend.

Kara feels their gazes like an impending tidal wave. She’s supposed to commence the meeting, but her mind is blank.

Just as she’s about to panic, she catches sight of a familiar face.

There’s Alex, sitting straight and proud right in Kara’s line of sight. Alex’s lips twitch up into a small smile, and she gives Kara an almost imperceptible nod.

Air whooshes back into Kara’s lungs, and Kara is reminded why she’s here.

The formal Kryptonian slips off her tongue with ease as she leads the room in the ceremonial commencement speech. She doesn’t look back at Alex, but Kara can feel the warmth of her approval just the same.

As the commencement speech ends, a subtle tension in the room eases. Kara wonders if they expected her to totally buck tradition or forget the words. She mentally shrugs and flicks a crystal on the arm of her chair. A small screen is projected before her, the agenda for the day.

She’s reviewed it before, this morning in fact, but she hadn’t realized Alex would be here. In truth, Kara had expected Alex’s return to be delayed and delayed, much as it had been before. She’d seen Alex just yesterday, and already Alex is back.

Her eyes focus on the third item on the meeting’s agenda. The military guild is issuing a report today, and Kara knows instinctively that’s why Alex is here.

She takes a deep breath and turns to Kal. “As my senior, I concede to your wisdom.”

Kal smiles at her, his eyes seeming to twinkle before he becomes serious, sending a solemn look at the assembly. “Let us begin,” he announces.

The council elders don’t look happy, but Kara doesn’t care. Sitting in this seat carries an extra weight, and she needs to adjust to the difference before attempting to lead her people.

The first discussion concerns diplomatic exchanges with Eastern Krypton, and Kara speaks when she feels she has something genuine to contribute. Her parents are currently attending a meet with Dru-Zod and his advisors. On file Kal’s parents are doing the same, but in reality they’re meeting with emissaries from Atlantis.

Kara knows the council is wary of Dru-Zod with due cause; though the line of Zod is descended from warriors, Dru-Zod is exponentially more aggressive than his predecessor. It’s been centuries since war has been embraced, and the usurpation of humanity had scarcely counted as anything more than a purge of the aggressive that refused to accept that their world was not their own any more.

War is something to be avoided; it had lead to the destruction of Old Krypton, after all.

Kal is good at soothing the fears of the council, and the next subject is a blur of reports from the agriculture guild.

She smiles to herself when she considers how the guild had started off as a minor branch of the science guild, but had grown and flourished as scientists had become enamored of the vast array of flora on Earth. Kara can’t help but wonder if, maybe one day, the newly minted human advocacy division might do the same.

Kara has little to say on the reports of increased yield of crops, only nodding when appropriate. When Kal calls for the next order of business, Kara’s heartbeat accelerates despite her resignation to remain calm. She hopes no one is listening for it as Alex stands and steps forward with the crisp walk only members of the military guild seem conditioned to use.

Kal seems startled to see Alex, though he recovers quickly once she starts speaking.

“I come before you today at the urging of High General Ze, commander of the military guild, in respect to a most concerning matter.” Alex bows her head, but her eyes flick toward Kara before focusing on Kal.

Alex’s Kryptonese is fluent and perfect, and Kara doubts anyone in the room can tell that she’s human by word or demeanor.

Kara internally smiles as Alex’s report continues, information that she’s already aware of so she doesn’t mind tuning it out a little to admire just how confident Alex has become. The Alex she knew before would balk at having to present herself in front of so much Kryptonian nobility, but this Alex’s chin is high and her shoulders straight.

It’s the first time that Kara can concede, if only mentally, that perhaps the time away from the Fortress of El has been the best choice for Alex. She’ll never admit it aloud, not when she thinks of the lonely years they’ve spent apart.

Concerned murmurs in the crowd make Kara focus on the subject matter at hand.

“This is troublesome news,” Kal says with a frown. “How many casualties have their been as a result to these outbreaks?”

Something shifts in Alex’s face before it smooths out again. “Over the last ten months? Twelve humans and seven Kryptonians.”

Kara stares at her in shock. They’d discussed red Kryptonite surely, but Kara had never thought there had actually been deaths as a result of the attacks. “So many, and this is only just now brought to our attention?”

Alex visibly swallows as she tries to avoid looking Kara in the eye. “The last attack was the worst, and General Ze realized that at this point keeping this a secret is only making things worse. The cure works, but unaffected people need to be able to diagnose the abnormal behavior for what it is.”

“Keeping this information from us has no doubt hindered negotiations with the humans,” Kal murmurs with a frown.

“I would point out that Kryptonians are equal victims in this matter,” one of the council elders says pointedly as he sends a stern glare to Kal-El.

“You said that you’ve made an arrest in this case, where is the culprit?” Kara asks to redirect the conversation.

Alex’s jaw works for a moment. “He is still undergoing interrogation at the hands of General Ze, herself.”

“He should be tried in front of a judiciary assembly to answer for his crimes against both human and Kryptonian alike.” Kal is frowning down at Alex as he waits for a response, ignoring the murmurs in the crowd his words have inspired.

“With all due respect, the subject in question has committed treason against all of Krypton, and he is being treated accordingly. General Ze will release him to the judiciary guild when she has gleaned the information she requires from him.” Alex looks serene, but here eyes are hard as she stares up at Kal.

Kara is worried by that look, so unlike the sweet and gentle Alex she knows.

As if feeling the concerned weight of Kara’s gaze, Alex’s expression eases. “That being said, the general realizes that information is valuable. I am being assigned to liaison with you and Kara-El in your work for human advocacy since this matter affects both humans and Kryptonians.”

Kal nods and leans back in his chair. “I expect you’ll share more information with us.”

“Of course, Great Scion,” Alex says as she bows her head. The playful glint in her eyes is missed by the council, but not by either Kal or Kara.

Kara bites the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. “You may re-take your seat while the council discusses additional steps in regards to this issue,” she says once she’s sure she can keep her composure.”

“As you say, Great Scion.”

Alex gives her a brief affectionate look before complying with Kara’s suggestion.

The warmth of the look is gone when Kara looks back at the council elders and sees their sour expressions. The rest of the meeting will be long, no doubt.

She takes a bracing breath as the heated debate begins.

*****

Alex is nervous as she waits in Kara’s rooms. The council meeting had dragged on far longer than normal thanks to Alex’s report, but it’s nothing she hadn’t anticipated.

Ordinarily Alex might have waited after the meeting was dispersed, lingered to greet Kara and accompanied her to her rooms, but they weren’t quite there yet. As far as anyone who recognized her knows, Alex and Kara haven’t seen each other in years.

Alex’s fingers twist together behind her back as she paces the room. She’d stopped to pick up something for Kara to eat knowing that Kara would certainly be hungry. Perhaps the food will also work as a peace offering; Alex can still clearly recall Kara’s surprise when more details about the red Kryptonite investigation had been revealed.

There’s a soft sound in the distance, and Alex straightens. Kara will be here soon. Not a minute later Kara walks through the door, her red cloak twirling softly as she turns to shut the door behind her. “You’re here,” Kara says. Her expression is difficult to discern, guarded as it is.

“Should I not be?” Alex asks in a light-hearted voice even though she feels anything but.

“Don’t be foolish, I might be upset with you, but I’m also happy to have you back.” Kara pauses in walking forward. “Do I have you back?”

The tension that’s settled between Alex’s shoulder blades eases. “Yes, if you’ll have me.”

“Of course, I--do I smell food?” Kara sends Alex a hopeful look.

Alex laughs and points over to Kara’s cluttered desk. She’d cleared a small space and set down Kara’s plate.

Kara all but skips over to the food, ruining the serious image she presents in her stately uniform.

When Kara begins humming, it hits Alex that she’s _home_ , finally. She walks over to one of the large crystal windows that overlook Kara’s bed, overwhelmed by how incredible it feels to know that there’s nowhere to sneak off to. When she wakes up in the morning, there will be no reason to slip out before the sun is too high in the sky.

She leans forward and looks out, recalling the several times she’s scaled the precarious tower in order to reach Kara.

“Will you have some?” Kara asks after a few moments.

Alex turns to lean back against the ledge, her elbows locked into place. “I’m not really hungry.”

Kara chuckles and takes a bite, standing and approaching Alex. “Eat,” she commands as she brings the half-eaten sandwich up so it’s brushing against Alex’s lips.

Alex doesn’t move at first, surprised by Kara’s insistence. Kara’s never been one to share food lightly, and so Alex leans forward to take a healthy bite even though she doesn’t have much of an appetite.

She chews carefully, aware that Kara is watching her. The sandwich is still aloft before her, and Alex’s eyes trail up until she’s looking into the blue of Kara’s irises. She swallows her bite of food reflexively, again feeling nervous under the intensity of Kara’s stare. “Is there something on my face?”

Kara blinks, looks at the sandwich, and then lowers it from sight. “No, no, I just...you...I’m glad you’re here.”

Though Alex is certain there’s more to it than that, she doesn’t push. She’s got a lot on her own mind. She and Kara end up sitting with their backs pressed to Kara’s bed as Kara finishes eating, and they begin to talk.

“So why didn’t you tell me about the casualties before?” Kara asks.

Alex sighs and pushes her head back against the bed. “I guess I just didn’t want to think about them at all, not with you.”

“Why?”

The single word is soft, making Alex want to gather her courage to look Kara in the eye - but in this, Alex is too afraid to do so. She’s tired of not telling Kara the truth, and has only managed not to do so because she hardly sees Kara.

She has to swallow several times around the lump in the throat before she can speak. “Because I killed some of them.”

Alex’s eyes burn with the urge to look at Kara. She doesn’t. The room is too quiet, and Alex feels hollow.

Something brushes her left hand, which she realizes is clenched into a tight fist. Alex glances downward and finds Kara’s hand softly enveloping her own.

“Tell me,” Kara says in a whisper. Her eyes are kind and concerned, and Alex can’t look away as she begins telling the tale of her first kill.

They’d been late to that scene, but they hadn’t expected for a transport ship to be hit. The soldiers had been en route to a human town to distribute supplies. All things considered, they’d resisted the red Kryptonite exceptionally well to not have destroyed the entire town, but two of the human guards that had arrived to accept the supplies hadn’t escaped the encounter with their lives.

Alex had been forced to put down the transport pilot, intent as he was in asserting power of the town by killing the town’s leader and family.

“...he wasn’t himself,” Alex says hoarsely as she nears the end, “but I killed him anyway.”

“You were trying to protect those people,” Kara counters as she squeezes Alex’s hand.

“Yeah.” Alex stares down at their interlaced fingers, wondering why the words still don’t sound much better coming from Kara. She’s learning to live with her choices, but the guilt still hasn’t entirely faded. At least she knows she can do what she has to do when someone’s life is at stake. It makes her feel better knowing that she _is_ capable of protecting Kara - even if Kara isn’t truly aware of it yet.

“Rao City was easier and harder. There was an envoy of humans there seeking an audience with their junior council. Three of them died before I could put down both of the contaminated Kryptonians.” Alex remembers their faces, but the guilt is bearable.

“There’s a pattern there. Each time the red Kryptonite is administered, military guild members are affected and the humans are forced to pay the price.” Kara is frowning, but she’s still holding tightly to Alex’s hand.

Alex’s head bobs, distracted by Kara’s thumb tracing a soothing pattern against her hand. “We noticed. It’s clear there’s an agenda in these attempts, but there’s too many people who would want to incite aggression between humans and Kryptonians to know for sure who ultimate culprits will be.”

They fall silent then, lost in their thoughts and the enormity of the situation. Kara’s head tilts up after some minutes. When Alex looks at her, it’s to find she’s under some measured scrutiny.

“What?” Alex feels uncomfortable, thinking that maybe Kara is having doubts about her character.

“Alex, you’re an excellent fighter, but how did you defeat _three_ Kryptonians?”

Alex smiles shakily, not wanting to correct the number. “Well, if you really want to know,” she lets her words trail off as she tugs her hand free from Kara’s and stands.

Kara looks up at her curiously, and Alex’s smile widens. “I’ve acquired some new skills.”

Normally Alex relies on stealth and surprise to be her biggest strengths in combat, but she wants to show off a little for Kara. She reaches up over her shoulder with intent, and she can feel the hum before her hand grasps a hilt that wasn’t there a moment before.

It’s a giddy feeling, holding onto the sword. Runes glitter along the blue-grey metal for a moment before disappearing. With the sword in her hand, minor feats of magic are easy and larger ones are no longer impossible. She winks down at Kara before she tilts the blade and moves in a blur to the other side of the room. It’s not quite a match for Kryptonians’ speed and Alex can only use it in bursts, but it’s usually enough to catch her opponents off-guard.

Kara is looking at her with wide eyes, so Alex nonchalantly raises her free hand so that the fabric of her uniform extends and then she’s standing upside down with her feet braced against the ceiling. She releases the fabric and drops into a flip, swinging the sword as electricity dances along the blade.

She’s invigorated as she goes through the altered combat forms, but she knows using the sword for too long comes with a price. She’s panting lightly as she grins down at Kara and sheathes her weapon.

“If all else fails, there’s these,” Alex adds as she brings hands down to her hips. Her Kryptonite daggers are revealed from their dimensional pocket, though Alex keeps them sheathed. They’re high concentration daggers, and she doesn’t want Kara getting sick. “They’re made of Kryptonite.”

Kara is frowning at her, but her frown slowly shifts until she’s grinning. She floats upward until she’s on her feet, stepping closer to Alex. “You _really_ wanted to be my bodyguard, huh?”

Alex pokes out her tongue. “It’s not like I _am_ your bodyguard,” she retorts.

“But you want to be,” Kara declares triumphantly.

And Alex can only chuckle and shrug. “No matter what my job title is, I’ll always protect you.”

Kara saunters over to the window, looking back over her shoulder. “Well now that you’ve had a chance to show off, it’s my turn. Come on,” she adds as she tilts her head to the darkened sky.

“Only because I really like flying,” Alex insists, “not because I want to help inflate your ego.”

Kara only laughs as they take off. Alex has never been happier, knowing that it’s something she’ll be hearing lots more of now.

It’s up in the air with only Kara and the stars for company that Alex finds the confidence to speak. “Kara,” she says loudly to be heard over the wind whipping past their faces.

They slow until they’re hovering, making Alex breathless when she realizes they’re above a sparse set of clouds with a clear and crisp view of the moon and stars.

“What is it?” Kara sounds a little breathless too, and her eyes shimmer under the moonlight.

Alex swallows, glad for the warmth of Kara’s body so high up in the atmosphere. “I saw my mother today.”

Kara pulls her closer, a concerned frown on her face. “Are you alright?”

“I don’t think so,” Alex admits in a low voice, her head ducking down. Her breath stutters when Kara pulls her even closer, bringing their bodies into full contact.

Kara remains silent, tugging her cloak until it’s wrapped fully around the both of them.

Alex looks up when a warm hand cradles her cold cheek.

“You looked cold,” Kara explains as her thumb brushes over Alex’s cheekbone. “Please, tell me what’s wrong.”

Alex’s eyes slide shut, and she leans forward until her face is snuggled against Kara’s neck. She tells herself it’s because Kara’s so warm. “She told me my father’s death wasn’t an accident.”

“Not an accident?” Kara sounds as shocked as Alex had felt when she’d heard the news. It comforts her just as much as Kara’s arms do.

Above the world and beneath the stars, cradled in Kara’s embrace, Alex has never felt safer. She’s able to say things she wouldn’t normally, to believe things perhaps her jaded spirit wouldn’t allow if her feet were touching the ground.

“Will you help me find out what happened to him?” she asks in a whisper.

“Of course.”

Alex smiles. She hadn’t doubted what Kara’s response would be, and there’s security in knowing there is one person in the vast world that will always be on her side.

One person is all she needs. “Let’s fly a little more.”

“Are you sure?” Kara’s head tilts, making Alex smile wider.

Ales nods. “Yeah.”

The wind is sharp against Alex’s face when they begin flying again, but she’s still smiling.

More things seem possible with Kara at her side.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting early since many of you might have plans tomorrow for Father's Day. Please excuse any errors since I am currently without a beta again.

* * *

Kara fidgets nervously with her cloak. The door to the transport is still closed, but Kara can already _feel_ the disapproval of the locals.

“Relax,” Alex says as she examines a small display screen. “They won’t harm you.”

“If anything, I’m worried about the opposite.” Kara remains facing forward, but out of her periphery she sees Alex look up from the scanner.

“Kara, I know you think humans are all meek and fragile, but we’re actually surprisingly resilient.” Alex’s voice is tinged with sarcasm.

“It’s not like that,” Kara says. “Well, not exactly. I just...I want this to go well, but I also know a lot of bad has happened here.”

“Do you _really_ know, Kara?” Alex asks. Her eyes narrow slightly as she examines Kara.

Kara meets her eyes unflinchingly. “Yes. I’ve read as many reports as I could about Midvale, including all the ones I could find on public discipline hearings.”

Something changes in Alex’s face, though Kara isn’t sure what. Alex looks away, her mouth a grim line. “Then maybe you do know, but it’s not the same as understanding.”

The words sting a little to hear, but Kara doesn’t take it personally. She wonders what Alex is thinking of - her parents, perhaps? Maybe even other things Kara isn’t aware of. Alex had lived in Midvale briefly, and with her time away working for the military guild, she’s technically seen far more of New Krypton than Kara has. She’s definitely seen more suffering than Kara has ever known.

“I get that,” Kara says as she lays a soft hand on Alex’s shoulder.

Just like that, the tension is gone. Alex gives her a crooked smile and tilts her head. “Sorry, just feeling a little off today.”

“Coming back here can’t be easy.” Kara squeezes Alex’s shoulder lightly in support. The night they’d spent flying only a few days ago lingers in Kara’s memory, as well as the troubling news Alex had seen fit to share about her father.

“It doesn’t bother me,” Alex says in a way that Kara understands means it bothers Alex very much.

“Well, we’re all set in the cabin,” a third voice interrupts before Kara can reply.

A tall well-built member of the military guild strides forward to halt in front of Kara.

Kara forces a smile on her face. “Thank you…?”

“Hank,” the man supplies. By the lack of a symbol on his chest and the presence of the symbol of El on his arm, Kara understands that he has no House. He is unranked, but something about him speaks of authority.

“Hank. Thank you for bringing us to our destination safely. Is the cargo ready to be unloaded?” Kara inquires. Beside her, Alex shifts her weight restlessly from foot to foot.

“Of course, Great Scion. I must warn you that the people here are wary of Kryptonians. The town has been unsettled since their former sponsor disappeared one night. Though messages from the scion of Nis indicate he is simply taking time away, the locals are worried of foul play. They do not want anyone to think they were involved.” Hank is solemn as he finishes speaking.

Kara frowns. She’s not sure how Hank has come by the information, but trusts that it is valid. Hank had been appointed by her aunt Astra, after all. “Thank you for your candor.”

Hank’s lips twitch in what Kara guesses is his attempt at a smile.

She wonders if he knows what really happened to Cirl-Nis. Alex had informed both her and Kal in private the day after the council meeting. It hadn’t taken Kara long to put a few things together, and that’s part of the reason why she’s so concerned that Alex has accompanied her here.

Kal and Lois are off visiting the human town outside of Kandor, a small place aptly known as Smallville. Kara had wanted Alex to accompany them, but Alex had insisted on traveling with her.

“Perhaps we should not linger,” Alex says when the silence lingers.

“You’re right, the locals are nervous enough.” Kara fidgets with her cloak again when Hank turns to open the door to the transport.

She takes a stabilizing breath when Alex reaches past her cloak to squeeze her hand briefly. She offers Alex a smile, knowing that an Alex in protective mode is a distracted Alex. Kara hopes that’s enough to keep Alex from lingering on negative feelings.

They disembark from the transport and Kara can only stare. She’s seen images and holovids of Midvale, but seeing the place live is a different experience. The town is far different from any Kryptonian structures Kara has seen with low, stocky buildings that resemble blocks with angular roofs.

Nowhere can be seen the curving and sometimes jagged spires of living Kryptonian crystal structures that can be coaxed into growing into a vast array of shapes. The buildings here made from wood, brick, and clay seem rudimentary in comparison.

There’s a unique appeal in the shapes different than what she knows. Artists of Kryptonian spaces often try to outdo one another with taller, sharper peaks and daring slopes. One of the latest trends involves manipulating the crystal facades into different colors. Though Kara appreciates the art of it, she finds the human abodes fascinating in their dissimilarity to Kryptonian architecture.

The town is less crowded than Argo City; here the buildings are spaced infrequently, sprawling outward from several common buildings. In Argo City the Houses often try to build as close to the Fortress of El as possible in an attempt to seem closer to the ruling family. Kara thinks the practice is preposterous - she’s not overly fond of the Great Houses that take up immediate space around her family home.

Overall, Midvale seems comfortable, though its inhabitants seem rather subdued. Kara wonders if they still walk with bowed heads and wary steps when there _aren’t_ Kryptonian visitors.

“You’re staring,” Alex mumbles under her breath.

“Thanks,” Kara coughs out in reply as a woman with a stern face emerges from the largest community building. Kara hopes the new arrival has missed the exchange.

Kara surmises this woman is the leader of Midvale. There are fine lines around her grey-green eyes and stern mouth, and despite the wild mane of dark-and-tawny curls, there’s an air of control around her. Kara feels that the chambray shirt buttoned to the top and tucked into neatly pressed cotton slacks lends to the air.

“To what do we owe this visit,” the woman intones as she approaches, “since I know a Great Scion of El isn’t here just to drop off medicine and food.”

“First, allow me to introduce myself,” Kara replies affably. “I am Kara-El, and my companions are Hank El-Sworn and Alex Danvers.”

“Miranda Crane, Steward of Midvale,” the woman replies distractedly. She’s staring at Alex with a frown.

Alex tilts her head and shrugs. “Yeah, I’m human.”

Steward Crane continues to stare, only pulling her attention away to glance quickly at Hank and Kara.

“I have people here to unload the transport,” Steward Crane says after a moment, She raises a hand and flicks it toward the transport. A small group of men and women emerge from the large communal building, forming a chain-line to offload the crates quietly and efficiently.

“Perhaps we could speak in private?” Kara waits for Steward Crane to focus on her again.

Steward Crane frowns, but nods after a moment. “Alright.”

*****

Alex tries to ignore the stares that follow her everywhere she goes. She can almost hear the accusation of _traitor_ in their thoughts as she passes them by. The experience is different from being around Kryptonian nobility, and yet it leaves her feeling much the same. No matter what Alex does, neither humans nor Kryptonians will ever fully accept her. She works her jaw before mentally shrugging.

The only approval she cares about has long been granted. Her eyes follow Kara for a few moments before flicking away. She decides to ignore the humans around her, a feat made easier when Steward Crane leads them to an office tucked away in the Municipal Hall. Alex has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing when she realizes the steward has claimed Cirl-Nis’s rarely used town office.

“Have a seat,” Steward Crane instructs as she sits behind the large wooden desk.

Hank looks at the lone two seats in front of the desks. “I’ll wait outside,” he decides.

Alex glances at Kara as they both take a seat. Kara raises her brows once in acknowledgement of the decision before turning to focus on Steward Crane. She waits until the door shuts behind Hank before she starts speaking.

“You’re correct in assuming there is an additional motive in my attendance here rather than just dropping off supplies for your people.”

Steward Crane nods when Kara pauses. “Continue,” she prompts.

Alex has to hide her smile. Kara is allowing the steward to establish a modicum of authority over the encounter. Alex can’t help but wonder when Kara has gotten so smooth with the politics of interaction. The Kara she remembers was always stumbling into faux pas after faux pas. She’s proud of what Kara has become, though part of her is sad to realize that she’s missed such an important development in Kara.

“My people have done your people a great wrong, and we’ve done it in such a way that we told ourselves what we were doing was best. Your lives were primitive, careless things before we came along and gave you structure and discipline - at least that’s what the elders of the council would say. We’ve shied away from calling it slavery, insisting that what we did was sponsor a more unfortunate species. I’m here to tell you that both I and my cousin Kal-El understand that this way of thinking is erroneous.” Kara has never looked or sounded more serious.

Steward Crane looks caught off-guard and more than a little wary, but she doesn’t try to stop Kara from speaking.

Kara’s smile is small and sad. “Going forward, Kal and I would like to be sure that things are different. We cannot leave this planet, but we can’t continue on as before. We’re hoping that leaders like you and those of other human towns might help us construct a future in which all of us may live together as equals, in peace.”

“Pretty words, but that’s all they are,” Steward Crane says in a flat voice.

“I understand your reluctance, but if you don’t believe me please at least allow us the chance to prove that Kal and I mean what we say.” Kara seems confident and earnest, but Alex is at the perfect angle to see Kara’s fingers fidgeting nervously behind the edge of her cloak. The steward shouldn’t be able to see it from her position at the desk.

“Do we have a choice?” Steward Crane’s lips cur in distaste.

“Of course you do,” Kara replies immediately.

The room falls silent as Steward Crane examines Kara. She sighs after a moment. “Better the devil you know. Make sure you continue to contact us before deciding to visit.”

“Yes, of course,” Kara says with an exuberant nod, “and you’re welcome to contact me with any concerns or requests.”

“I’ll remember that.” The steward stands and rounds the desk, indicating with a hand that Alex and Kara should precede her out of the room.

Alex falls into step behind Kara, physically relaxed and mentally alert just in case. They exit without qualm, collecting Hank just outside the door and proceeding back to their transport. The people they pass still seem wary, but the trio receives more curious looks than they had upon arrival.

Once they’re ensconced back in the transport and Hank is back in the cockpit, Alex turns to Kara with a half-smile. “You did great.”

“You think so?” Kara looks hopeful and worried at the same time.

Alex’s smile widens. “Yeah.”

Kara sighs and leans back into the wall. Rather than one of the more luxurious free-standing seats, Kara has chosen to sit at a collection of bench seats. When she reaches out to take Alex’s hand, Alex sighs in contentment.

The weight of Kara’s head settles on her shoulder some moments later. “Is that even comfortable?” Alex jokes as she squeezes Kara’s hand once.

“It is _the_ most comfortable,” Kara declares haughtily.

Alex chuckles and brushes a kiss to her forehead. “I hope Kal and Lois didn’t have any trouble.”

“I doubt it. They’re both very convincing when they want to be.” Kara pauses. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” Alex says. She _is_ , really. Midvale had been smaller than she remembered, and the faces were blurred in her memory.

It had helped that she couldn’t see her old house on their short trip - as a favored family of Nis, she and her parents had been privileged to share a home on the outskirts of town. She doesn’t know who lives there now; she doesn’t want to know. There are few good memories left in Alex’s brain of her parents, and she wants to keep those precious few for as long as possible.

“You could tell me if you’re not fine, you know that?” The soft quality of Kara’s voice makes Alex sigh again.

“I know. I’m okay, Kara.” With anyone else, Alex might feel irritated at the line of questioning. For Kara, however, Alex has infinite patience.

The next lingering silence is a peaceful one, and Alex’s eyes start to droop the longer they sit curled together.

“I was thinking about having a party for your birthday.”

Alex’s eyes dart open. “What? No.”

“I’ve already started arranging it,” Kara adds in a pleased voice.

“Kara, _no_.” Although they’ve always had small gatherings for her birthday, Alex has a foreboding sense that this is _not_ what Kara has in mind. Her infinite patience begins to fray at the edges.

Kara lifts her head from Alex’s shoulder, facing Alex and meeting her eyes. “I promise it won’t be too crazy, but I’ve made friends in your years away. I want you to meet them. You’re an important part of my life, Alex. I want them to know you.”

There’s no doubt in her mind that Kara’s friends are pooled from the group of Kryptonians that, years ago, never hesitated to try and make Alex feel like an insect. _I don’t want to know them_ , Alex almost says. The words catch on the tip of her tongue. Kara looks so earnest.

Alex slumps back into her seat with a sigh. “I don’t know, Kara,” she says in a low voice.

She doesn’t look at Kara, but she can feel Kara’s left hand take her own. Their fingers slide together until they’re interlaced, Kara’s palm pressed to the back of her hand. “Trust me,” Kara says.

Alex takes a shaky breath, her eyes absently focusing on their hands. Kara’s free hand is tracing delicate patterns on the fabric over her arm and wrist; Alex is almost hypnotised by the movement.

“I do trust you - I just don’t trust _them_.”

“Alex,” Kara coaxes, “I promise you, they’re different than you remember. They were young and stupid and saying things they thought they should, rather than what they really thought. Do you think I would invite anyone to your special day that would make you feel anything less than you are?”

“You are such a politician,” Alex mumbles before looking away. The fingertips that have been tracing her arm suddenly rise and sweep over her shoulder, following the path up Alex’s neck until Kara’s palm settles against her cheek.

Alex doesn’t resist the tiny pressure that Kara applies, instead turning back. “This isn’t about politics,” Kara murmurs.

Their gazes lock and a tension rises between them. Breathing is difficult, and it’s like Alex can physically _feel_ the distance between their bodies. Alex isn’t sure what it is, but it’s been happening more and more. She swallows thickly. “Kal and Lois will be there too?”

“Of course,” Kara replies. She sways forward a moment and then blinks, shaking her head and letting her hand drop from Alex’s face. “Which reminds me: Lois wanted to speak with you about something.”

“Do you know what?” Alex is distracted as Kara pulls their hands apart, studying her friend’s face at the sudden loss of contact.

“I do, yes.” Kara’s lips upturn into a hint of a smile as she sends a discreet look Alex’s way.

Alex’s eyes narrow. “You’re not going to tell me?”

Kara’s smile widens as the turns away, humming a low song.

All Alex can do is roll her eyes and shake her head. _Kara can be so childish sometimes_ , comes the thought as she grumpily crosses her arms.

*****

“So you left them there?” Kara asks, trying not to sound worried.

Lois smiles, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “They’re both private people, having me hanging around wasn’t helping things.”

Kara swallows and nods hesitantly. “Right.”

As always, Lois sees right through her. “Don’t worry, I was headed back that way now. You’re welcome to join me.”

Something eases in Kara’s chest. It had been her idea, but there was a difference in talking Alex into the meeting and then actually not having Alex around most of the day. Kara couldn’t help but worry; Lucy has been terribly closed off since her move to Argo City, and Alex has never been particularly open with strangers.

Still, the additional human presence _could_ have a positive impact on Lucy. Kara catches sight of Lois out of her periphery. Lois hasn’t said it, but of course everyone knows how worried she is about her sister. Alex _agreed_ to the time with Lucy, Kara has to remind herself. Things should be fine.

She follows Lois down a familiar set of hallways, unaware of where they’re headed until they reach the great looming doors that were part of Kara’s only link to Alex for years.

Lois sends her a wink before motioning the doors open.

Kara follows her through the entryway, blinking once to adjust to the outdoor lighting. Her breath catches when she glances across the courtyard and sees Alex in a sleeveless black cotton tunic and leggings, armed with two red oak tonfas and circling a slight woman with dark hair - Lucy - who’s dressed similarly and also wielding a set of the weapons.

Alex grins a moment before lunging forward, and Lucy is hard pressed to block the series of attacks. Lucy’s face scrunches up in determination, and she Kara can see Alex nod respectfully.

There’s light perspiration dotting both of their faces, and it’s clear that they’ve been at it for a while.

“I thought you said they were going to talk?” Kara says as she watches Alex’s graceful movements. Alex has shown off for Kara a time or two, but it’s different watching her friend so focused and unaware of Kara’s presence.

Alex avoids a high swipe by ducking into a twisting butterfly kick. She sends an enthusiastic look Kara’s way before turning back to face Lucy.

Kara covers her face with her hand as she tries to hide a smile. So perhaps Alex wasn’t _wholly_ unaware of Kara’s presence. She sighs silently as she watches Alex move. Lucy isn’t quite as fluid, but it’s clear she has some training.

“I guess they found another way to communicate,” Lois mutters wryly.

“Something like that,” Kara supplies. She crosses her arms snugly over her abdomen the longer she watches. There’s a nostalgia in watching Alex train, but there’s also something else. Kara’s brow furrows as she tries to identify the emotion. As much as she loves watching Alex move, there’s a dissonant feeling in seeing a grown Alex face off against someone else.

As Kara frowns, the world around them begins to rumble. Her frown deepens as she looks around at the walls of the fortress. Earthquakes are rare, but also something they’ve become accustomed to. Argyo City will be fine; the living crystal will subtly flex absorb most of the vibrations and convert them into energy, leaving hardly a tremor to be felt by the residents.

Kara’s mind turns to Midvale with its own very human buildings and her stomach drops. She’d never really thought about them before, had never really considered what their lives were like outside of the Kryptonian cities. Her hands move to the slender belt at her waist to tug out a crystal and a portable communications matrix. She slides the crystal into position and frowns when she sees the seismic readings.

When she looks up, Alex is only a step or two away. Their eyes meet, and Kara knows the question before it’s asked.

“It’s big,” she declares worriedly.

“Steward Crane hasn’t contacted us for assistance,” Alex says rather than asks.

“I know.” Kara bites her lip as she thinks. “We can go alone. If I assemble a group they might think it’s an invasion, but if it’s just the two of us…”

Their gazes hold, and then Alex nods once. “Let me change into my uniform.” She turns and walks over to one of the low benches against one of the far walls where Kara can just see a pool of dark fabric that is undoubtedly Alex’s uniform.

“They might not want you there,” Lucy says as she walks placidly toward the group.

“Maybe not,” Kara admits softly, “but maybe they _do_ need help.”

“Just like a Kryptonian to decide what’s best for us without our permission.” Lucy is giving Kara a dead-eyed look.

“ _Lucy_.” Lois looks less than pleased.

“Stubborn pride doesn’t save lives,” Alex says as she returns, tugging the top part of her uniform up and over the bare skin of her torso.

Kara blinks in surprise, but then Alex is covered again as she brings the front pieces of the uniform together. It shifts unnaturally and then melds as if the fabric had never been pulled apart to begin with.

“It doesn’t hurt for us to check and see how they’re doing.” Kara meets Lucy’s eyes, silently daring her to protest.

Lucy only shrugs and looks away.

“Transport?” Alex flexes her hands and rolls her shoulders.

“I can get there faster, but I don’t think you can safely come with me,” Kara admits with a frown.

Alex smiles and tugs once at the collar to her uniform. “Don’t worry. Let’s go.”

“Wait are you--”

“You can’t possibly--”

Kara opens her arms as Alex steps forward into her loose embrace, leaving the Lane sisters staring as she and Alex fly upward. As soon as they’re out of immediate sight, Alex tugs her collar up, making the material shift and stretch until it’s covering her head and face.

Alex is a familiar shape pressed against Kara as they fly, but Kara is still afraid to go faster than they already are. Alex gives her a wink and ducks her head until it’s pressed tightly against Kara’s neck.

Kara’s heart races and she pushes herself faster, trusting Alex. Perhaps she shouldn’t have brought Alex along at all, but as much as she trusts her own abilities, it’s nice to have Alex along. This is probably nothing like the missions Alex has been apart of, but there’s comfort in having her more experienced friend accompanying her.

Alex’s hand shifts on Kara’s lower back, and Kara forces herself to peer ahead instead of focusing on the way her stomach flutters at the contact. She’s immediately distracted. There’s smoke and destruction all across Midvale, and Kara’s heart lurches. There’s fires broken out in a few spots, and Kara knows that the human town is woefully under-equipped to handle the crises all at once.

She pushes herself harder and faster, breathless as she considers how many lives will be lost if she doesn’t get to Midvale sooner.

Soon they’re above the town, and Kara’s left floating above it wondering where to start. Her senses are on overload as she absorbs the frantic scene beneath her. There’s so much going on, so many people that need help. She can see people rushing from place to place, several in a daze. There are children crying, and parents calling out for voices that aren’t responding. Meanwhile the fires rage on, and Kara can hear the earth shift ominously underneath it all.

Alex tugs away her hood and mask. “You need to get those fires under control. I’ll help extract the civilians.”

“There will be more aftershocks, maybe even a bigger quake than before,” Kara says. Her eyes rake over Alex’s face, wondering if her friend understands.

“I’ll be okay, but they won’t if we don’t help them.” Alex is grim and focused, and she gives Kara the last bit of confidence she needs.

“Alright, let’s do this.” Kara takes a deep breath and then they’re dropping to the ground.

*****

Midvale is awash in chaos, moreso than Alex would think possible for what had seemed a fairly peaceful hamlet of humanity. She makes her way to the largest communal building, which seems largely untouched by the surrounding damage.

She finds Steward Crane there barking out orders to a handful of mostly confused people. Alex frowns. Earthquakes aren’t uncommon to the area, and though they’re normally less violent she would think that Midvale would have procedures in place in case of such an emergency.

Steward Crane zeroes in on her presence the moment she’s in sight.

“What are you doing here?” the steward barks out with a scowl.

“We’re here to help,” Alex declares. The loose group of people around the steward blink owlishly at Alex.

“Help? Ha,” Steward Crane is interrupted by a loud sound of rushing wind, and they all turn to find Kara hovering off in the distance as she uses great lungfuls of air to carefully put out fires.

“I’ve noticed a few buildings are down, have they been cleared of civilians?” Alex stares at Steward Crane steadily, waiting to see if the woman can put aside her personal feelings for the good of her people.

“We’d barely started when a large aftershock hit,” Steward Crane intones in a stilted voice, “but most of the children have been evacuated to a safe place.”

Alex nods. “Where?”

Steward Crane’s lips purse in distaste. “The unoccupied Nis estate just outside of town.”

Though Alex shouldn’t be surprised - the Nis estate is comprised of Kryptonian crystal structures - she is. She swallows as she considers that Nis had only fallen empty after she’d abducted Cirl-Nis. “How’d you get past the security system?” Alex asks with a frown.

Miranda Crane tilts her head as she smiles slowly. “Many of us used to work on the estate. Our security protocols were still in place.”

Something niggles at the back of Alex’s mind, but she pushes it aside. There are more important things to consider. “Let’s get those buildings cleared and evacuated to safety. Kara is busy, so why don’t we get to it?”

Steward Crane looks displeased, but she motions to the loose group around her. “Let’s get our people out.”

Alex ends up taking charge at the first building, though she checks with the steward for show. She’s not as practiced as Kara is, but Alex knows a thing or two about humoring people in charge.

Clearing the first two buildings is slow and dirty work, but they manage. Alex is sure to put herself at the front. Her uniform provides extra protection, and when she needs to use a little magic to boost her strength it’s easy to cover up.

They’ve just started on the third building when the earth begins to shake around them.

“Shit,” Alex says. They’re in some kind of storeroom trying to get to an area that’s been closed off with shelves and stone. “Get out!” she shouts to the line of people behind her.

The tall blonde-haired woman with close cropped hair behind Alex hesitates and Alex shouts again. She gives Alex a wide eyed stare before nodding and turning, pushing along the people behind her to do the same.

Alex takes a shaky breath, sweat stinging her eyes as she considers her options. With the Midvale citizens leaving the immediate proximity, she’s free to use a little more magic. There’s people trapped behind the wall of debris, and they could die if their little pocket of stability is disturbed.

She takes a deep breath and raises her arms, fabric whipping out as she begins to move debris as quickly and carefully as she’s able.

“Still too slow,” she hisses out in desperation. Her hand trembles as she reaches back for her sword. Energy flickers to life around the weapon, and then Alex is making deep cuts in the dusty stone to one side of the fallen debris.

The rumbling suddenly seems to fade off into nothingness, and just when Alex thinks that maybe there’s time after all, the rumbling comes back louder and more violent than before.

She has to make a split decision between the exit behind her and the small hole she’s created in front of her. There’s hardly a choice to be made. She sheathes her sword.

Her cheek scrapes against the rough stone as she scrambles through the hole, intent on using whatever energy she has left to try and protect whomever is stuck in this tiny space.

She can’t see anything and there’s dust everywhere, but hands find their way to her arms as she coughs against an inhale of sediment.

“You should have run,” a deep voice says.

“Thank you for trying,” says another voice, softer and kinder.

There’s still two sets of hands on her arms, and their presence gives Alex strength. “We’re not dead yet.”

She raises her arms and she can feel the fabric quiver against her wrists. Despite her will, the fabric can’t quite reach past her knuckles. She’s expended too much energy in her desperation.

The dust in her throat seems thicker than ever. She’s failed.

She squeezes her eyes shut and grits her teeth, and suddenly Alex remembers something important. This isn’t a solo mission.

“Kara.”

There’s a loud sound and a burst of heat, and then another presence is beside Alex. A strangled voice shouts “grab hold” but Alex is coughing and blinded by dust.

Eventually she can breathe and her eyes stop watering. When she looks up she sees open sky, dark and dotted with stars.

It takes her a few moments to realize she’s floating, and a loud crash has her staring downward at the now collapsed storage building. There’s the weight of Kara’s arm around her waist, and when Alex glances to her left she laughs. Two men look very uncomfortable hanging from Kara’s hooked arm, and Alex isn’t sure if it’s the distance from the ground or their proximity.

The moment they reach the ground the smaller of the two men scurries a few paces away with a mumbled “scared of heights” followed by the sounds of retching.

The sound barely registers for Alex; she’s distracted by Kara’s hands trembling over her face, dropping down her neck and shoulders until her hands are being held dangerously tight.

“Don’t ever scare me like that again,” Kara says with wild eyes and quivering lips.

“What? I knew you’d make it in time.” Alex forces a grin around the shaky words, her own trembling hands giving herself away.

Kara’s mouth opens to say more, but doesn’t get the chance.

“You’re both alright?” Steward Crane asks.

Alex blinks and releases one of Kara’s hands to turn, only to find the steward addressing the two men that had been retrieved from the now defunct storage building. She smiles to herself. For a minute she’d been worried at the steward acting out of character.

Kara squeezes her hand once before letting go.

The taller man is nodding. “Yeah, Winn just got a little overwhelmed at the end. We’re fine.”

Steward Crane nods and reaches up to pat him on the shoulder. “Good, I’m glad.” When she smiles, she looks genuinely relieved.

Alex feels a burgeoning respect for the woman, even when her face becomes stony as she faces Alex and Kara again.

“There’s more work to be done,” Miranda Crane says stiffly.

“Of course,” Kara replies. When the steward turns away, Alex looks over to Kara and they share a smile.

They follow in Steward Crane’s wake, the backs of their hands brushing with every step.

Something catches Alex’s attention out of the corner of her eye. She looks at Kara and flicks her eyes downward. “You’re glowing.”

Kara’s forehead crinkles in confusion until she looks down. One of the small pouches on her belt is, in fact, glowing.

“Oh.” Kara’s hands move in a practiced fashion, retrieving the crystal and placing it in the small communications matrix.

Hank’s face flickers to life on the small display, his face solemn and unhappy. “Great Scion, we’ve been informed you’re assisting Midvale. In accordance with our agreements with the humans, you have to understand that--”

“Well, when are you sending healers?” Steward Crane’s voice cuts in.

Hank frowns, looking from Kara toward the steward’s voice. She’s out of range for him to see, but Alex has to hide a smile when Kara holds the device out for the steward to accept.

“Kara-El gave me a line to her personal communication crystal. I contacted her for assistance in response to this calamity. She has abided by our agreements, and has acted above and beyond our expectations. Now that that’s cleared up, I ask again: when will healers be dispatched to Midvale?”

Alex leans into Kara to bump their shoulders together, smirking and nodding her head at the obviously uncomfortable Hank. “I think she likes you,” Alex says under her breath.

Kara grins, but hurriedly straightens her face when Steward Crane glances her way. They share a solemn look, and then the steward is back to chastising the displeased-looking Hank.

“Maybe,” Kara whispers back. “She doesn’t completely hate me, at least.”

“Not completely,” Alex agrees with crossed arms, smirk still in place.

They’re back to work trying to clean up Midvale by the time Hank shows up with cyan-clad members of the healers guild. He has a brief conversation with Steward Crane before making a beeline for Alex and Kara.

Alex fidgets nervously with the cuffs of her uniform. The way Hank is stalking toward them is familiar; it’s hardly the first time she and Kara have gotten into trouble, though usually it was J’onn on the way to scold them.

Hank’s lips purse and his nostrils flare as he settles his hands on his hips and looks from Alex to Kara and back again.

At first Alex is worried, but then she narrows her eyes.

“Steward Crane asked for you help?” he asks in a brittle voice.

Kara tugs at her cloak and shifts her weight from foot to foot. She clears her throat and strains to look Hank in the eye. “Yes. Yep, s-she sure did.”

Hank’s eyelids droop in disbelief and he lets out an aggrieved sigh. “I hope you know how lucky you are that this didn’t blow up in your face.”

Alex has to bite the inside of her cheek until he turns and walks away. She doesn’t voice her thoughts, but J’onn’s sudden absence from Argo City is beginning to make sense to her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I've had really crap sleep this last week so there might be a lot of errors in this. This is coming out later because I had a bit of a block, and then I went back to reread this and realized that I had some Very Big Errors - those of you on tumblr might have read about one of those. It happens, especially when I miss out on sleep.
> 
> That being said, please take note of the added tag.

* * *

The Hall of El is quiet this time of day, especially with Kara the lone remaining occupant in its brilliant white interior. Kal has been gone all day campaigning distant Houses for more support for local human towns and their parents are stuck with the council discussing their respective trips.

Normally Kara might have already left herself, but since she’s talked Alex into spending more time trying to help Lucy acclimate Kara finds she focuses best in the Hall.

“Access file: Danvers, Jeremiah,” Kara says as she sends some data into her personal communications matrix.

“File: Danvers, Jeremiah does not exist,” the soft voice of the AI replies.

Kara blinks and looks upward. “Run search: Danvers, Jeremiah.”

There’s a brief pause before the AI responds. “Search: Danvers, Jeremiah has returned no results.”

“That’s not right,” Kara mutters to herself as she straightens in her seat. “Search: Danvers in the vicinity of Midvale.”

Again there’s a pause. “Danvers, vicinity of Midvale. There are three results.”

“Show results, please.” Kara’s frowning as the small script on the holo display becomes larger.

Two of the three results are readily familiar, and she passes over the names of Eliza and Alex - though it’s tempting to see what Alex’s file looks like. _Later, maybe_. The third might lead to what she needs.

“Access file: Danvers family tree,” Kara says as she studies the third entry.

The pause from the AI is longer this time. “My apologies, Kara-El, but the data is corrupt. Request permission for optimization protocol.”

“Request denied,” Kara snaps out. The last thing she wants is the file erased. “Initiate file recovery sequences.”

“My apologies, Kara-El, but the data is corrupt. File recovery sequences have been locked to sitting ruler Zor-El, first of his name, and Astra-Ze, sitting consort to Zor-El.”

Kara leans back in her chair, staring in shock at the steady holo display floating in front of her. Though she knows some files have been secured to be opened only by her parents, her stomach lurches at the thought of Alex’s _family_ _tree_ being deemed classified information. Given the lack of results on Jeremiah, Kara can guess why.

She grits her teeth and then blows out a calming breath. “Access file: Alex Danvers.”

“My apologies, Kara-El, but that file has been locked for security purposes.” The AI voice is as calm and soothing as always, but Kara feels altogether annoyed by its sound.

“I am the heir and a Great Scion of El; you’re informing me that my security clearance does _not_ qualify to access this file?” Kara begins to understand that the interior of the Hall is primarily composed of rare Kryptonian alloys for more than aesthetic reasons when she realizes she has a death grip on the edge of her access panel. It is unbent in her grip.

“That is correct, Kara-El. Is there another matter I may help you with today?”

“No,” Kara bites out as she looks angrily around the room. She briefly considers sitting at either of her parents’ access panel, but she knows the seat is nothing without her father or mother’s crystals. Even if she had those, the AI would quickly identify her via her biometrics and block her access.

Her plans to have data on Alex’s father compiled for Alex’s birthday are foiled. To Kara it is no small thing - because to Alex it is no small thing. She considers her options quietly, wondering what secrets are truly hidden in the confines of the otherwise seemingly innocuous Hall.

There is only one option to Kara, of course. “Engage Communications: Zor-El.”

“Zor-El, first of his name, has indicated that communications are currently unavailable. Would you like to leave a message?” the AI replies back in an even tone.

Kara takes a breath and leans forward, smiling innocuously as she asks for a private meeting with her parents that they’ll no doubt consider a social request. It won’t be, not really.

She won’t let Alex down.

A sigh escapes her as she finishes her message, ready to leave behind her duties for the day. With any luck, Alex will be sparring with Lucy in the training courtyard.

The trek to find Alex goes quickly, and Kara breathes out a happy sigh when she sees that Alex and Lucy are indeed at it again.

Lucy takes a wide swing that Alex easily dodges. Alex says something and Lucy nods, a focused look on her face.

Kara smiles and walks along the edge of the courtyard to take a seat on one of the scarcely used benches. Her smile remains until Alex and Lucy suddenly stop, and then Alex is stepping closer to her sparring partner. She’s speaking again, with her hands traveling to Lucy’s back and then up along Lucy’s shoulders and upper arms.

Logically Kara understands that Alex is trying to correct Lucy’s stance, but she can’t help that she’s suddenly sitting straight and stiff and frowning at the way Lucy’s looking at Alex. Alex looks as patient and serious as always, but Lucy’s eyes linger far too long on Alex’s bare arms.

Maybe Kara’s been pushing them to spend too much time together. Kara’s stomach twists and knots until Alex has stepped back to a respectable distance again. It takes several minutes for her to relax again, but she’s entranced by the way Alex moves in the loose sparring garb.

It’s easy to understand Lucy’s fascination with Alex, even if Lucy doesn’t understand Alex’s loyalty to New Krypton. Lucy almost lands a hit to Alex’s face, making Alex grin as she twists and springs backward on one hand.

“That’s enough for today, I think,” Alex says. She smiles, her eyes almost immediately traveling to Kara.

Lucy nods, sparing only a small glance backward to see where Alex’s attention has wandered. “Of course,” she huffs with an eye roll, stalking from the courtyard not a half second later.

Alex ignores her and walks toward Kara.

The crystal exterior of the fortress reflects orange-pink hues of sunlight around the courtyard, making Kara’s breath catch as Alex approaches; the faint sheen of dewy sweat dampening Alex’s body makes her skin seem to shine as the reflected light hits it just _so_.

For a moment she forgets about the worries that have plagued her since before she’d taken her seat alongside her family to rule New Krypton and have only intensified since. For a moment Kara only sees the upturn of Alex’s lips and the sometimes-green, sometimes-umber of her eyes.

“Hey, you all done for the day?” Alex asks as she reaches up to sweep her hair back out of her face.

Kara shakes herself and takes a breath. “Yeah,” she says with a smile as she stands, “you ready to find some dinner?”

Alex drops her hands to her hips and arches her brows. “What, with you?” She gives Kara a lazy smile. “Always.”

They playfully bump shoulders as they turn to leave the courtyard.

Kara hesitates as they reach the large doors as something finally settles into place in her head.

“Hm?” Alex inquires as she looks at Kara.

A giddy feeling starts in Kara’s stomach and rises into her chest. She shrugs and reaches for Alex’s hand, tangling their hands together.

Alex blinks, a hint of pink rising to her cheeks. She doesn’t comment, instead clearing her throat and motioning the large doors open.

The giddy feeling in Kara’s chest intensifies. She squeezes Alex’s hand carefully once, content to ignore the feeling for now and just enjoy their time together.

*****

Alex’s hands flex as she skirts the edges room, eyeing the dozen or so unfamiliar Kryptonians in disbelief. A lot of Kara’s friends had shown up for Alex’s birthday party, and they’ve all been more than civil to Alex.

Her gaze wanders to the right where Kara is laughing with the now identified Sen-Ras. Alex’s head shakes as a distant memory of another party from long ago surfaces. Sen-Ras wears grey these days, though she pays homage to her mother with a bright purple scarf.

The resentment Alex had felt for such a faceless person had faded - well, mostly. Sen-Ras does tend to lean a little to closely to Kara when she laughs for Alex’s liking.

Alex can’t blame her; Kara is wearing a formal white gown tonight with her silky hair hanging down and framing her face perfectly. Really, it’s a wonder that everyone isn’t crowded around Kara trying to catch snippets of the delightful sound of her laughter.

“It’s your party and you’re sulking over here?” comes Lucy’s voice.

Alex blinks and turns away from Kara with a crooked smile. “I’m not sulking, I’m just taking a break. I’m not as social as Kara is.”

Lucy nods and looks warily around the room. “You don’t have any human friends?”

“You’re here, aren’t you?” Alex drawls as she sends Lucy a side-eyed look. She doesn’t mention Lois, who’d bowed out of the party involving the much younger crowd after spending a pleasant lunch with Alex much earlier in the day.

“Good point,” Lucy says as she leans back against the wall.

They must look striking in black amidst the sea of color at the party, and Alex is glad Lucy has agreed to a trial period with the military guild.

“Kara couldn’t get you into one of those fancy dresses?” Lucy asks after a few beats of silence.

Alex makes a face. “It’s my birthday and I wear what I want. I like my uniform.” She raises a hand to absently rub at the symbol of El on her left arm.

“It’s almost disgusting how you two are with each other,” Lucy says with a wry twist of her lips.

“What?” Alex drops her hand, turning to face Lucy with a frown.

Lucy quirks a brow at her before bobbing her head in Kara’s direction. “You and Kara. You’re almost as disgusting as Kal and Lois.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” Alex’s thoughts jumble. Lucy has been making strides toward not hating _all_ Kryptonians under Hank’s steady tutelage, but the odd approval in her voice only confuses Alex.

“Oh, come on. You two are always making googly eyes at each other. Heaven forbid either of you ever remember there’s other people in the room,” Lucy grumbles as she huffs out a breath.

As if on cue, Kara’s head turns toward them. She focuses on Alex and smiles brightly, blinking in surprise several moments later when Sen-Ras playfully taps her on the shoulder.

Alex swallows and looks from Kara to Lucy and then back again. “It’s not--we’re not,” Alex swallows again and shakes her head a little from side to side as her mind travels down all sorts of awkward venues. “I need some air.”

She doesn’t give Lucy a chance to respond, instead making for the wide doors to the veranda that will serve as Alex’s escape from the small room Kara has requisitioned for her party.

The cool air does little to soothe Alex. She reaches up to tug her uniform loose at the collar so she can breathe. Even the veranda is beautiful; decorated with soft crystal lights and bursts of small white flowers that Kara no doubt picked out herself.

Alex stumbles toward a bench and stares upward as she tries to find her bearings, letting her mind remain blank as she allows herself to slowly process the thing that she’s been burying away for years in hopes that it would just fade and disappear on its own. It hasn’t. It can’t, not when she wakes up with Kara’s face curled into her shoulder every morning, not when Kara smiles at her as brightly as the sun and warms Alex in much the same way. Breathing is difficult as a surge of feelings cut and sear through her chest not unlike she imagines heat vision would.

There’s a tiny moment when she allows herself to dream, to picture what it would be like to love Kara in the way that Lois loves Kal, but the dream doesn’t linger. She squeezes her eyes shut, wishing the cold light of the stars that have long linked her soul to Kara’s could bring her comfort in the face of the realization that she _loves_ Kara in an impossible way.

Alex isn’t Lois. Lois is strong and brave, and while Alex might be those things, she’s also a murderer and a liar. There’s so many things she hasn’t told Kara, so many things that she can’t imagine telling Kara and seeing that light of pride slowly fade from the clear blue of her eyes.

“Alex? What are you doing out here?”

Kara’s voice makes Alex squeeze her eyes shut tighter, her fists clenching at her sides as she wishes for once that she and Kara weren’t so indelibly linked. Kara will know in a moment that something is wrong, and Alex can’t be strong right now.

“Just getting some air,” Alex says in the most relaxed way she can manage.

“I guess it’s a little overwhelming, isn’t it?” Kara’s voice is soft. Before Alex realizes it, Kara is seated next to her on the bench.

“Yeah.” She leans forward and grips the edge of the seat when her hand threatens to instinctively find Kara’s. She stares straight ahead, unable to look at Kara and unwilling to allow herself to look at the stars again.

Silence lingers for several minutes as Kara looks upward and Alex stares into the dim shadows of the night.

“Alex,” Kara finally says in a low voice, “there’s been something I’ve been wanting to ask you about.”

Alex’s heart thuds. Does Kara suspect her true nature?

“You can ask me anything.” A lump forms in her throat. She’s ready to get the last of the truth out.

Kara takes a shaky breath, her hands fidgeting in her lap. “When you were gone...did you ever think about not coming back?”

“What?” Alex asks as she jerks her head around in surprise.

“When you were gone - after the Human Rights Assertion passed - did you ever think about just staying away? You were free. Now you’re back here doing a lot of the same things and I,” Kara abruptly stops as her throat works, “I never want you to feel obligated to be here.”

Alex clenches her teeth, hating the vulnerability in Kara’s face and voice. She forgets herself and reaches out to grasp Kara’s hand, pleased when Kara looks up at her. “Never.”

She waits a moment as she tries to decipher if Kara believes her or not. “Kara, I’ve _always_ felt free when I’m with you. You are my _family_ , and being apart from you has been one of the most difficult experiences of my life.”

Kara sucks in a surprised breath as their eyes meet. Kara knows every great tragedy of Alex’s life, every scar that’s seared into her spirit even if Kara can’t account for the small white lines that trace her skin.

“Alex,” Kara says in a low voice, her face pained as if she’s recounting every such event in her mind. “I love you.”

It’s Alex that has to look away. There’s stars in Kara’s eyes, stars that Alex feels she doesn’t deserve. The weight of the familiar phrase is different and powerful, and it terrifies Alex because she wants nothing more than to cup Kara’s face and press soft kisses everywhere the sadness lingers: the furrows on her brow, the crinkled corners of her eyes, and most especially the downturned corners of her mouth.

“I can’t, Kara.”

Kara wants to cry because even though the words aren’t the worst she’s feared, they still hurt. Either way she’s happy to still have Alex in her life - in whatever capacity Alex will have her.

“I understand,” Kara says with a crooked smile even though there’s pressure building behind her eyes.

Alex, whose head has drooped in the long moments since Kara has revealed her secret, looks up with a pinched mouth. She searches Kara’s face for a moment before shaking her head.

“No, Kara. You don’t. It’s not what you think. I...I didn’t tell you everything about the years I was away - especially not this last one.” Alex stands abruptly and begins pacing.

It’s been a long time since Kara has seen Alex this anxious. Worry curls in the pit of her stomach. “What do you mean?”

Alex stops and turns to brace her hands against the hard black stone of the railing, her back to Kara. “Kara, I haven’t been working in just research for the guild. I’m a trained assassin. I’ve killed in cold blood.”

Kara’s stomach roils. She wishes she could see Alex’s face. “That doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it does!” Alex says as she angrily turns to face Kara. “I’ve been lying to you this entire time! I’ve tortured people for information. I’ve killed people in their sleep.”

Alex’s eyes are hard, making Kara think of the day Alex had come before the council to recount the events pertaining to red Kryptonite incidences.

Her stomach roils again as she considers this side of Alex. She rubs a hand over her abdomen and steadies herself. “Why?” she asks evenly.

“Because that’s my job,” Alex bites out.

“What’s your job?” Kara asks in a still patient voice.

Alex’s eyes narrow. “I told you, I’m an assassin.”

“So, what? You just go off killing whomever you want? Is that it?” Kara’s voice is dry rather than upset. She waits.

“No. I--” Alex stops abruptly and glares. “I know what you’re trying to do. You can’t excuse the things that I’ve done.”

“You’re right,” Kara replies. Alex’s expression becomes bleak. Kara reaches out to cup her face before she can look away. “ _I_ don’t have to excuse the things you’ve done. Do I agree with your choices? Maybe not all of them, but I don’t have to. I _know_ you Alex. You’re a good person, and you do what you think is best. You wanted to save people and you made tough choices. Do I hope you never have to do anything like that ever again? Of course. I won’t condemn you for things you’ve done, were likely ordered to do, in the defense of New Krypton. I will gently remind you that there are other options when I can, but I trust your judgment.”

Alex laughs, a brittle and harsh sound as she shakes her head. “You always see the good in everything.”

“If I do, it’s because of you,” Kara admits honestly. The new information will take time to fully process, but Kara has meant every word she’s said to Alex.

Alex’s face warms under Kara’s hand, making Kara drop her arm. Alex is cute when she’s embarrassed, but Kara doesn’t want to make her uncomfortable.

“You give me too much credit,” Alex mumbles.

“You don’t give yourself enough,” Kara retorts with raised brows.

They look at each other and laugh, recalling many times when the same words were spoken in different roles.

Kara has difficulty catching her breath, not because she’s laughing too hard, but because Alex is so beautiful under the moonlight that it makes her chest ache.

“Hey,” Alex says after she’s gotten her own laughter under control, “will you take me flying?”

It’s on the tip of Kara’s tongue to say no; it doesn’t feel safe to hold Alex close right now when her feelings are tight in her chest and threatening to rise up and escape her lips again. She bites the inside of her cheek to stifle such things. It’s Alex’s birthday and the least Kara can do is take her out under the stars, especially after Alex has taken the time to meet Kara’s friends under better circumstances.

“Let me take a moment to change,” she says. She’ll feel more comfortable flying in her uniform, and she’d like to have her cloak along for when Alex gets cold.

“Sure, let’s go.” Alex steps forward with an expectant look, making Kara chuckle.

She carefully grips Alex and then they’re flying up and away to their room. They touch down hardly a minute later, and Kara hurries away under the pretense of gathering her uniform.

Kara doesn’t know how she’ll handle the next however long with Alex in her arms after such a brief time has left her hands twitching with the effort it takes not to smooth over the dips and curves of Alex’s body.

“Hey, Kara?” Alex says as she leans sideways against the crystal window sill.

“Yeah?” Kara takes a few steps toward her out of curiosity.

“I do love you, you know?” Alex says with a half smile.

Kara’s throat is tight. “Yeah, I know.” She hopes she doesn’t sound as wistful as she feels. Alex’s love as a friend is more than enough, Kara just needs to get a handle on the new recognition of her own intense emotions.

“No. I mean I _love_ you, Kara,” Alex repeats.

The uniform slips from Kara’s grip. She walks unsteadily towards Alex, frowning down at her friend once they’re standing in front of each other. “Alex, don’t feel obligated to say things like that. I’m okay.”

“Yeah? Well I’m not.” Alex looks solemn, making Kara’s heart begin to pound uncontrollably.

*

There’s a precious few seconds when Alex is looking up at Kara that she considers all the reasons why Kara deserves better, but the stars in Kara’s eyes have always shined brightest for her.

Her eyelids droop as she reaches for Kara’s face, her lips trembling a moment before Kara’s mouth makes contact with her own.

Kara’s lips are soft and warm and Alex is immediately addicted to the sensation. She can feel the shaky breath from Kara’s nose that tickles unsteadily against her skin, and the chaste kiss suddenly doesn’t feel like _enough_.

She wants more, Kara’s own gravity pulling at Alex until their bodies are flush against each other and Alex is torn between kissing Kara’s lips and the delicate skin of her face. Kara’s lips win when they softly part, and Alex is lost in the wet heat of Kara’s mouth.

Alex regretfully pulls away some moments later, her chest heaving and her vision unfocused as she remembers that she needs to breathe much more than Kara does.

Kara takes a shaky, shuddering breath as if in defiance of Alex’s thoughts. Alex smiles.

“A while ago you asked me about some of my scars,” Alex says in a voice that’s almost a whisper.

“Yes,” Kara states with a small frown, no doubt at the reminder of all the times Alex has been hurt.

“I’d like to tell you about them, if you don’t mind.” Alex’s pulse accelerates. Logically she knows she has nothing to be afraid of. She’s tired of all the small secrets she’s kept.

“You know I want to know.” Kara gives Alex an earnest look, leaning forward to brush a quick kiss to Alex’s forehead.

The kiss fortifies Alex, and she reaches up to the collar of her uniform without hesitation.

Kara let’s out an almost inaudible gasp when the dark material pools at Alex’s feet.

Alex tugs aside the simple dark fabric of her bra, revealing a jagged white mark. “My first skirmish. It was a training level mission with several senior guild members. We hit an outlaw human outpost in the northern territories, trying to find information about some disappearances of law-abiding humans in the region. There was a guy sleeping in the main building the others missed. He didn’t miss me.”

She shudders when Kara’s fingertips cautiously reach out to trace the uneven scar. Alex absorbs the contact before taking Kara’s hand into her own and guiding it to two small round scars on her right side. “I got lucky. These are from clearing out a renegade camp in the southwest territories. One of the guys I was with forgot I wasn’t bulletproof when he was chasing down a thug. He felt so bad that he brought me sweets for a week.”

Kara grips her side carefully, her thumb tracing over the rough circles as she grits her teeth. “And these?” she asks as her hand travels to a smattering of pinker, fresher scars over Alex’s thigh.

“One of the guys I had to put down in Kandor used his heat vision on something very explosive I was standing a little too closely to. I didn’t realize I was hit until we had the situation under control.” Alex doesn’t mention that she’d fainted from blood loss and had been scolded famously by both General Ze and Zura-Tan.

Since Kandor Alex has added additional enchants to her uniform to protect her body a little better from flying projectiles, but she’s only truly protected with her sword in her hand and a barrier incantation on her lips.

All thoughts of magic and incantations flee her mind when Kara steps closer and leans down to press tender kisses to the first scar. Alex grips at her back in surprise, her eyelids fluttering closed as Kara whispers softly against her skin.

It isn’t until Kara is on her knees and pressing more kisses over the long-healed bullet wounds that Alex understands that Kara’s whispering out a prayer in Old Kryptonian to Rao, thanking the deity for the gift of life.

Standing is difficult when Kara’s mouth trails to the soft skin of her thigh. She’s overwhelmed with love and something else, something hotter and wetter that surges low in her body when Kara looks up at her with so much devotion that it threatens to consume Alex from the inside out.

She tugs softly at Kara’s shoulders, urging her to her feet. Kara complies, and then Alex sighs happily into the kiss the look had made her crave. It’s just what she needs - and yet not enough as the compulsion to be closer, _closer_ persists.

It’s only when Alex has successfully helped Kara from her gown that Kara hesitates.

“Alex,” Kara whispers as her fingertips brush the exposed skin of Alex’s collarbone before settling at the back of Alex’s neck. “I could hurt you.”

The worry that might irritate Alex at another time only makes her tilt her head. She understands in this moment so soon after Kara has seen the evidence of the near-misses that Alex has had over the years; Alex had heard the almost broken desperation of the prayer that had only ever crossed Kara’s lips during study before.

“I don’t think you will, but we don’t have to do any more than this, Kara. I want you to be comfortable.” The words are easy for Alex even as arousal pricks and tingles along her spine and in her core. More than anything, she just needs Kara near.

Kara bites at her lower lip. “Just tell me if anything is too much, okay?”

“Of course. The same goes for you.” Though it’s unlikely that Alex will be able to hurt Kara in the physical sense, she wants to be safe.

They kiss more as they shed the last of their clothes, slowly making their way to the bed they’ve shared more nights than either can count.

Kara is unerringly gentle as she presses soft open mouthed kisses along Alex’s body, intent on paying homage to the life still thrumming through Alex’s veins. She gasps out in surprise when her hand meets the slick heat of Alex’s vulva.

“Kara,” Alex breathes out a moment before her hips buck against the steady presence of Kara’s hand.

The moment Alex catches her breath Kara is kissing her again, feeling an urgent need to see the intense pleasure wash over Alex’s face again.

“I love you,” Kara says between kisses.

When Alex begins delicately touching Kara’s tingling skin some moments later, Kara’s breath seems to halt in her lungs. She still worries over her own strength, but Alex’s eyes are kind and full of trust as she gently pushes Kara over onto her back. Kara’s lips part as Alex presses tender kisses along her face, and she takes a shaky breath as she’s careful to keep her own movements under control.

Alex spends several quiet moments exploring and kissing the expanse of Kara’s unblemished skin, no less grateful that Kara is alive and here than Kara. Alex’s eyes slide shut when her fingers dip in between the folds of Kara’s labia for the first time, entranced by the heat and the way Kara’s body sways with her touch.

“Let go, Kara,” Alex whispers into the shell of Kara’s ear when Kara’s breathing grows unsteady. “I’ve got you.”

And Kara is lost to an indescribable pleasure, one that’s partly what feels like the eruption of her senses all at once, and the rest of knowing that this time has been shared with the person she loves more than anyone or thing else in the universe.

“Are you okay?” Kara asks the moment she’s caught her breath.

Alex chuckles, low and delighted. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

“Alex,” comes the low warning.

“I feel...I don’t think there are words for it,” Alex admits with a small smile that just makes Kara’s stomach twist.

She’s overwhelmed with the need to kiss Alex again, and she smiles when Alex meets her halfway. Though Kara has always felt a strong connection to Alex, it feels even deeper with this added layer. She understands it’s not the physical act they’ve engaged in, but the trust they’ve shown each other.

Their kiss intensifies, and Kara sucks in a greedy breath when her leg brushes against Alex’s copious arousal. The physical connection is very _nice_ though, Kara decides as she tugs Alex’s leg over her hip.

*****

Waking is a sluggish thing in the morning, and Alex blames the full expanse of Kara’s bare body pressed into her side. It’s only after a series of sleepy kisses that Alex gives in to her body’s urging to relieve herself, offering Kara an apologetic smile as she slips away to use the toilet.

They hadn’t gone flying the night before like Alex had wanted, but she isn’t upset. With the night they’d had, how could she be?

“I’m going to wash up,” Alex calls out as she finishes with the toilet and slips to the adjacent bathing chamber. She’s always considered the room far too decadent for her tastes with the wide roman-style tub and equally large shower, but she hums in pleasure as the drops of the rain-like shower blankets her skin.

She smiles when Kara’s arms slide around her from behind. “Are you more awake now?”

“Maybe,” Kara mumbles into the bare skin of Alex’s shoulder.

Alex chuckles.

Kara squeezes her waist once gently. “I had a message waiting for me from my parents this morning. They’ve agreed to meet me in private shortly at the Hall of El.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Mhm,” Kara affirms, “and I was kind of hoping you would come with me.”

“Me? In the Hall of El?” Alex almost stutters out, her eyes wide. She turns to face Kara, who straightens and keeps a loose embrace around Alex’s waist.

“Yes. We’re going to discuss something important and, more than that, I want to tell them about us. I want to tell them that I love you.” Kara looks so serious that Alex almost forgets why that might be a bad idea.

Almost. “Kara, isn’t it too soon?”

Kara’s head shakes as she laughs, her eyes trailing over Alex’s face like a caress. “Alex, I’ve loved you for most of my life. If anything, I think we’ve taken our time.”

Alex can’t speak, not when Kara looks at her that way. “They might react poorly,” she manages to say after some time.

“Alex.” Again Kara shakes her head, and the amused exasperation in her tone of voice makes Alex smile.

“Okay.”

They shower quickly after that though their touches linger, and Alex is in an incredible mood as she and Kara make their way to the Hall of El nearly ten minutes later.

Kara is chattering on about recent news from the human settlements, making Alex grin at her enthusiasm. It’s been a while since Alex has visited this part of the Fortress, and she tries to ignore the anxious lurching of her stomach as she considers they’re headed to the Hall of El - where only the recognized members of El and very special visitors may step foot.

She’s so lost in her worry that she almost doesn’t realize that Lucy’s rushing down the far side of the hallway. Lucy’s eyes widen as she passes them, hesitating for the briefest moment before she continues on even faster than before.

Alex frowns and shakes her head. Kara is still going on about some trade agreements Smallville has recently agreed to, so Alex dismisses the odd encounter.

Kara takes her hand as they approach the looming white doors of the Hall of El, motioning the doors open with a surprisingly confident gesture.

Alex takes strength in her confidence.

She catches sight of Alura-Ze first, the striking resemblance to General Ze catching Alex’s attention before anything else. That is until she realizes it’s not just Kara’s parents here, but also Kal’s. She swallows and stands taller even though her insides are twisting.

“Dear One, why have you brought your friend today?” Alura asks with a furrowed brow.

Zor raises a hand before Kara can speak. “I can guess, based on your repeated inquiries into our records.” He seems more concerned than angry, so Alex relaxes. Slightly.

She sends curious looks around the room, wondering why the House of El always insists on so much white. Something pricks along the back of her neck as Zor-El goes on about security protocols, and it’s then that she picks up on a scent that seems out of place in the pristine confines of the Hall of El.

Her eyes widen and she only has a few seconds to react, her right hand reaching back for her sword as she reaches out for Kara with her left. The words stream from her mouth frantically, and she only has a moment to register the shocked faces of Kara’s parents and aunt and uncle before the world around them explodes.

It takes her a few dazed moments to realize that she and Kara have been blown clear of the room. The barrier flickers and dies around them, and Alex is left staring at the black and gaping maw that used to be the pristine white Hall of El.

“Alex?” Kara asks as she brings a hand up to her head. “What happened?”

“We need to get you out of here, Kara. This area is contaminated,” she swallows as she turns to Kara and forces the next words out. “Someone just detonated a liquid K-metal bomb, and there’s bound to be fragments of crystal Kryptonite all over this place.”

Kara blinks, horror slowly passing over her face. “Liquid K-metal?”

Alex doesn’t have time to react before Kara is on her feet and racing for the burned out husk of the Hall of El.

“Mom! Dad!” Kara screeches as she rushes forward.

Alex curses herself and rushes after Kara, her stomach dropping as Kara wobbles and then drops after only a few steps into the room. A quick glance confirms a thick layer of Kryptonite dust coating most of what’s left of the room.

She tugs Kara back easily, biting the inside of her cheek and tasting blood when she realizes how weak Kara is.

“No, no,” Kara declares weakly, “my parents.”

Kara puts up a valiant fight, but Alex can’t allow her back into the room. Alex calculates Kara’s height and weight against the amount of dust Kara’s surely inhaled, her mind fumbling over how much time she has to get the Kryptonite out of Kara’s lungs before they stop functioning entirely.

“Kara, stop! They’re gone!” she finally shouts when Kara wriggles from her grasp and falls painfully onto her side.

Kara stares up at her with a gaping mouth and tearing eyes, and Alex immediately regrets being so harsh. “I’m sorry,” she says as she reaches down and pulls Kara up and into her arms, calling a little extra strength from the flickering reserves of her magic. Absorbing the blast had taken a lot out of her, but she’s determined to get Kara to the wing of the healer’s guild as soon as possible.

She grits her teeth as Kara begins sobbing into the fabric of her uniform, not sparing a glance for the bevy of Kryptonians rushing toward the remains of the Hall of El.

“Stay back!” Alex shouts as she lumbers forward. “Protective gear, there’s Kryptonite everywhere!”

She refuses to let go of Kara even as several Kryptonians in variously colored garb rush to help them, shaking her head. “She’s covered in dust. If you want to help, call ahead to the healers and let them know.”

It’s only a few minutes later when Kara is settled into a private room and being tended to by healers wearing full bio-suits that it sinks in that Kara has lost most of her family in one fell swoop.

It only takes a second more for her to realize that if she hadn’t agreed to accompany Kara today, Kara would be dead.

Shock ripples down Alex’s spine until she’s breathing heavily and trying to keep conscious as rage boils and bubbles up in her stomach. She stares at Kara with wide eyes as her vision dims around the edges.

Kara begins to cough violently, and Alex immediately shakes her head and rounds the bed. The healers have Kara on her side now. Alex shoots the smaller healer a worried look.

“This is good,” the woman explains, “as the nanites find all those little bits of Kryptonite, her body’s responding and attempting to expel the toxins. You got her here in time.”

Alex nods to herself, her hands clenching at her sides.

“You can sit with her,” the taller healer says. “Our part is done for now.”

The healers retreat as Alex hurriedly sits at the very edge of Kara’s bed, her hand reaching for Kara’s without hesitation.

“Alex,” Kara says roughly after another few coughing fits. There’s dried tear tracks on her face but her lashes are still damp. “Please.”

Kara’s eyelids droop, exhausted with the attempts at speaking. Alex watches her carefully to assure herself Kara is only sleeping, and it’s only after several minutes that Alex allows the first few tears to fall. She sniffles as she stares up at the concentrated sun lamps that line the ceiling of the room, not minding the heat as long as it helps Kara heal.

Kara will heal - and then Alex will find and kill whoever had done this. She leans down to press a careful kiss to Kara’s cheek, wiping at the dried tears mournfully as she sits up.

“I’m sorry Kara,” she whispers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In regards to *that* scene. I hope it didn't come off as gratuitous, as I'm not overly fond of writing such things. 
> 
> One of the recurring themes in this fic are the differences between humans and Kryptonians, and more importantly how both Alex and Kara feel about those differences. I felt a more in depth look at that scene was crucial to reflect their thoughts and how they recognize and adapt to the other's thoughts - Kara, who's always felt humans were too fragile / Alex who hates the fragility that Kara never seems to forget, but also Alex's recent dismissive nature to the differences between them. The scene represents a compromise and trust, one which I may rewrite a bit in the near future. It feels a little cold to me, but I'm very tired and not thinking very clearly. I refuse to miss a Sunday post, so hopefully the scene doesn't feel too cumbersome to you.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A day late? Oops. I mean...I declare this an honorary Sunday. :)

* * *

The room is bright - brighter than Kara remembers. She blinks and the brightness is gone. It sets in that she’s not in the healing wing anymore. The familiar walls of her room bring a deceptive comfort that fades almost as soon as it’s recognized.

“Hey,” comes Alex’s soft voice.

Kara closes her eyes at the sound. Alex is tentative, worried. She further reminds Kara that her world has been irrevocably and inescapably changed. She doesn’t respond at first - can’t respond, even.

She opens her mouth and closes it again. Alex moves and the bed dips, and a moment later Kara’s hand is taken into Alex’s warm grip.

“How are you feeling?”

Anger surges through Kara. How does Alex think she feels after seeing most of her family wiped out before her very eyes? She looks up with venom on her tongue, only to be met with the very real concern on Alex’s face. Kara remembers then that Alex knows what it’s like to lose family _and_ that it had only been Alex’s training that had kept her alive.

She decides to answer the surface of the question. “My throat is still a little sore, but I’m mostly better.”

“That’s good,” Alex says as a corner of her lips tilt upward in the hint of a smile. There’s fine lines wrinkling her brow as she stares down at Kara.

Though Kara can’t explain why, her throat is suddenly thick with emotion. She feels she’ll choke as the tears start and she lifts her free hand to cover her face.

Alex doesn’t hesitate, instead immediately crawling onto the bed and gently pulling Kara closer.

Kara is terrified when she realizes she’s clenching Alex’s hand far too hard - and yet Alex seems fine, only pulling her closer and closer into the warm intimacy of her embrace.

“I’m not hurting you?” Kara asks shakily.

Alex responds by squeezing her gently. “No,” she explains in a rough voice, “there’s still little bits of Kryptonite in you. The healers say the levels aren’t dangerous, although you will be vulnerable for a while. It’s not safe to dose you with more nanites yet, not until they’re sure the last ones are gone from your system.”

All at once Kara feels overwhelmed; for once in her life she has the freedom to wail and cry and get out every ounce of feeling that’s threatening to drown her without fear of causing destruction around her - and yet tears still only slide quietly down her face.

“I-I asked you to come. You could have died too, Alex,” Kara whispers. It’s a last great horrible thing that she hasn’t had time to consider, but one that feels like a last blow in an onslaught of emotional upheaval.

She can see Alex’s jaw work, and then Alex’s hands are cupping her face and tugging her gently forward. The soft breaths that tickle against her lips serve to remind her that she isn’t dreaming, that Alex is here and staring at her with a grave intensity.

Kara brings her trembling hands up to cover Alex’s, and Alex takes a shuddering breath.

“Kara, if I hadn’t gone with you, you’d be dead.” Alex’s eyes flood with unshed tears as she examines Kara’s face. “I don’t think I could live in a world knowing you’re not in it.”

The words that had been rising in Kara’s throat are swallowed down as she considers Alex’s words - and how she would feel if she’d lost Alex and somehow survived herself today. There isn’t much she can say, really.

So she doesn’t speak, instead leaning forward to place a chaste but meaningful kiss on Alex’s lips.

Alex relaxes just a little, and Kara closes her eyes. She can’t help but feel that the circle of Alex’s arms are as restorative as the sun itself. There’s dreadful thoughts edging at the corner of her mind still, but as long as Alex remains, Kara knows she can keep such thoughts at bay.

She must doze for a while, because when she next opens her eyes it’s to a knock at the door. The light filtering in through her closed window is a burnished orange, so some time has definitely passed.

An alert Alex offers Kara a half smile as she slowly entangles their limbs and rolls over, standing and stretching before heading to the door.

Alex pauses and flicks at the crystal in the control matrix, silently identifying their visitor before motioning the doors open. “Hank,” she says stiffly.

The stocky man hikes a brow at Alex, their eyes meeting in some silent challenge that Kara doesn’t understand.

Hank shrugs after a moment and then turns to Kara. “Evening, Great Scion. I will be remaining here for security while Alex steps out.”

“You’re leaving?” Kara asks in an elevated voice. Her heart thumps with anxiety. What if there are more bombs planted around the fortress? What if something happens to Alex?

“Only for a little while.” Alex’s voice is soft and reassuring. She walks back over to Kara as she adjusts her uniform into place. “The fortress has been thoroughly swept and declared clear of more devices; there are important things I need to do.”

The childish part of Kara wants to ask Alex what could be more important than being together after such a horrible day, but Kara isn’t a child any more. She knows Alex. She knows what Alex is going to do.

Still, her breathing is shaky as she speaks. “Be careful.”

Alex’s head tilts. She reaches for Kara’s hand and bends at the waist to brush a delicate kiss to the back of the still-pale appendage. “I will,” she murmurs against Kara’s skin.

When Alex is gone from her sight, Kara covers her face with both hands. There’s a lot fighting for dominance in her mind - pain, desolation, fear - but she can’t afford to feel such things. Not now. Not yet.

“General Ze and Kal-El have been inquiring about you,” Hank says after a few minutes.

Kara blinks and sits up, not liking how taxed she feels at such a minor movement. “I can’t see them yet.”

Hank blinks slowly at her once and nods, looking stern as he takes up a position along one side of the door.

She wonders briefly what he thinks of her decision, but shakes her head. It doesn’t matter. Kara knows if she sees her aunt and cousin now she won’t be able to keep a grip on reality for long. They will be in mourning, and Kara can’t afford to mourn yet.

“Have the Protocols of Inheritance been initiated?” she asks evenly.

Hank studies for a moment. “Of course, Great Scion. Initial protocols are already in place, though as you are aware there are still a few formal aspects that will need to be tended to after a reasonable time has passed.”

Kara nods absently, feeling around her clothes for her crystal. She blinks, realizing that she’s not in her uniform and is instead in the loose cotton garb she favors for sleep.

“Are you looking for something, Great Scion?”

She bites the inside of her cheek, already displeased to have someone watching her so closely. She pushes the irritation aside. “Where is my uniform?”

“My apologies, Great Scion,” Hank says as he takes a step forward, “but your uniform was contaminated with crystal Kryptonite dust. The healers are having it decontaminated. I believe Alex brought your cleared personal effects here personally.”

The words make sense, and Kara nods as she glances around her room. She spots a small clear container that’s out of place in her room. She begins tugging the covers from around her body.

Hank smiles and bows his head. “You are to remain in bed, Great Scion. If there’s something you need, please allow me to retrieve it for you.”

Again Kara forces aside her irritation. She raises a hand and points to the clear container that’s resting on a dresser to her left. “Could you collect that container for me, please?”

When the container is deposited in her lap a few moments later, Kara is relieved to find her crystal and portable communications matrix inside. She swallows. Though the Hall of El has surely been destroyed, with the initial Protocols of Inheritance in place, all of Krypton’s knowledge will be available to her. As she slides her crystal into place, she takes a deep breath.

Though Alex will undoubtedly be doing her own brand of investigation, Kara’s determined to find out what she can herself. The screen flickers before her. “Open security footage for the corridors leading directly to the Hall of El, starting feeds from dawn.”

*****

The corridors slip by in vague blurs as Alex stalks quietly to her destination. It’s not far to the quarters set aside for military guild members - and trainees, as the case may be.

Her steps are quiet, but Alex’s pulse pounds fiercely as each foot lands.

Left. Why was Lucy there?

Right. Why did Lucy look so afraid?

Left. Lucy better be at her bunk.

Right. Alex will hunt Lucy down if she has to.

Left. Alex will _hunt Lucy down_ if she has to.

Her fists are clenched tightly at her sides until she rounds the final corner and sees that Lucy is, in fact, nervously pacing around her bunk.

Alex immediately relaxes her posture. There’s a lot of rage bottled up in her chest; for J’onn who insists on keeping his cover as Hank despite the dire circumstances, for the healers who hadn’t removed every last bit of Kryptonite from Kara, for Lucy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and for herself for what she’ll do to Lucy if Lucy admits to being part of the bombing.

Though Alex loves Lois and cares for Lucy, she will not forgive the person who has taken so many lives precious to Kara - and nearly Kara herself. A cold, dead feeling slides through her chest until she feels disconnected from herself. She straightens, ready to do whatever she needs to do.

“Lucy,” she says in an almost-friendly tone as she approaches Lucy’s bunk.

Lucy looks like a mix between terrified and relieved. “Alex, there’s something I need to tell y--”

“Trainee Lane,” General Ze cuts in sharply.

Alex’s head jerks at the sound so familiar to another voice she’d heard just this morning, but she reminds herself this is the general.

“You will report to my office immediately,” Astra continues in the same fierce tone.

At once Alex’s nostrils flare. “I need to question her.”

“Alex--” Lucy says with wide eyes as she glances from General Ze and back to Alex.

“Report to my office immediately, that’s an order,” Astra-Ze insists as she glares at Lucy.

Lucy stares at Alex with wide eyes, and it’s only when she’s gone from sight that Alex realizes that Lucy had look _terrified_. Alex frowns.

“With all due respect General Ze, I had questions of great import to pose to her.” Alex is sure to sound respectful, even as her mind begins considering something very unlikely.

“You had no questions to pose to her,” General Ze corrects stiffly. “You are not in charge of the investigation into the deaths at the Hall of El. _I_ am.”

Alex’s frown deepens. If General Ze had suspected Lucy, she would have had military guild members escort Lucy away - unless...unless she didn’t want any witnesses seeing Lucy being taken away. The hairs on the back of Alex’s neck stand on end.

“How did you know I wanted to question her about the Hall of El? How did you know I was coming for her _now_?” Despite her best efforts, Alex knows she sounds suspicious.

General Ze’s face clears. “You suspect something foul? I assure you this is nothing of the sort. You forget I’ve overseen your training for many long years now. I know how fierce you are when it comes to Kara, and I was having you monitored for activity. Once I was informed you were heading here, I knew you wouldn’t listen to any of the men I sent.” She pauses and gives Alex a measured look. “If Lucy had anything to do with this morning, I _will_ find out.”

Alex bows her head in concession. It’s hard to consider that General Ze, who’s long been devoted to New Krypton, would have the leaders of New Krypton killed. Though Astra-Ze and Alura-Ze had long been at political odds with each other, Alex likes to believe there had still been a genuine love and respect there.

“I would like to be present for Lucy’s interrogation,” Alex says.

“Denied,” comes the immediate reply. “Your place is with Kara while she recovers. I will handle this.”

Again Alex bows her head, but when General Ze turns and exits the room, Alex silently watches her go. Perhaps she has been blinded before, easily distracted by the promise of Kara, but Alex admits to herself that maybe General Ze is not who she thinks she is.

Melancholy descends over Alex. If she’s right, Kara has lost more family this day than either of them had realized.

Her stomach twists into knots; she hopes she’s wrong.

*****

When Kara finally finds the footage, she can’t believe it. She watches and re-watches it, her frown deepening with every view. An unspeakable sadness falls over her as she watches the diminutive form slip into the Hall of El cradling an indistinguishable package much like one would hold a baby.

There’s a clear perfect shot of Lucy as she turns to check back down the hallway. Kara stares at her face for a while before looking down at the time and date to confirm what she already knows.

“Hank,” Kara says quietly, “what do you think of this?”

The question makes the stern man step forward from his sentry position at the door. He focuses on the holo images, his eyebrows slowly rising on his forehead. “I think that’s impossible.”

Kara stares at the image and dips her head into a nod. “I know.”

The doors opening makes Hank turn on his heel and take up a defensive stance. He relaxes a moment later when he recognizes a scowling Alex.

“General Ze has well and truly blocked my investigative efforts,” Alex says stiffly.

“You’ve learned nothing, then?” Kara asks.

Alex shifts from foot to foot and looks down. “I have nothing more than suspicions and a feeling in my gut.”

“I believe the heir of New Krypton has more than that,” Hank says as he steps aside to reveal the holo image Kara has been studying.

“Is that…?” Alex’s words trail off as she takes a few disbelieving steps forward. Her eyes are wide as they settle on the frozen image of Lucy’s face.

Alex visibly deflates, her shoulders hunching and her head drooping. “So it _was_ her?”

“No,” Kara says. She waits patiently for Alex to look again and notice the time stamp.

Alex shoots her a confused look before re-examining the holo-image. She frowns after a moment. “The time stamp puts here there before sunrise?”

“Yes,” Hank supplies. He looks grim as he stares at the image of Lucy with his hands on his hips.

“Was she on time for her training?” Alex asks.

Hank crosses his arms. “Yes.”

The room falls silent as they acknowledge something only a handful of people know. Nearly a month ago Hank had begun taking Lucy out for unsanctioned specialized training in the woods - she’s been responding well to the change in atmosphere and has seem more relaxed for the first time in weeks.

“Whoever made this didn’t know about Hank’s attempts to help her work through her issues with Kryptonians.” Kara is alarmed when she realizes the information only clears a limited number of people. Besides the three of them and Lucy, only Kal and Lois are aware of Lucy’s extended training.

She looks at Hank and Alex, her attention diverting wholly to Alex when she sees a very worried look on her lover’s face. “What is it, Alex?”

Alex’s mouth opens and closes, and then she shakes her head. “No. It’s ridiculous to say, and pure conjecture.”

“If it could help clear Lucy,” Hank prompts and let’s his words trail off as he waits for Alex.

Alex shakes her head again and glares at Hank. “You could _easily_ clear Lucy if you’d just be honest.”

“What does she mean?” Kara again examines both Hank and Alex. The former looks uncomfortable and the latter looks upset.

“I don’t know, Great Scion,” Hank says evenly.

“Yes you do!” Alex almost shouts as she pushes forward and taps forcefully at Hank’s chest with her index finger. “Why are you lying to us? Did you have something to do with this morning?”

Hank gives Alex a wounded look. “I would never hurt Kara, or you, in such a way.”

The use of her name makes Kara look up in surprise. Her eyes narrow and then widen. “J’onn?”

Hank’s lips part and then his shoulders slump. His body pules and shifts, and a moment later a much taller and _greener_ J’onn is standing before them. “It was your parents’ idea,” J’onn says in a humbled tone.

“My parents are dead.” Kara’s voice catches on the last word. Her eyes are stinging and she shakes her head. “Why would they ask you to do this?”

“They wanted you to be protected on your outings to the human settlements, but the humans are already scared enough of those that look just like them - if they saw a Martian, well…” J’onn’s voice is soft and apologetic.

“But why hide from us?” Alex asks pointedly.

“I,” J’onn pauses and takes a breath and turns to Kara, “Your parents didn’t want you to think they didn’t have faith in you. And,” he turns back to Alex, “I was worried you wouldn’t want me here.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Alex’s voice is soft now too.

Kara swallows because she understands. J’onn had been a father to Alex for years, and had even filled that role for Kara too for most of her life. She hadn’t loved her own father any less, but J’onn has always had a special place in her heart. She swallows again. As important as all this information is on a personal level, there are other matters at hand. “So you can confirm without a doubt it was Lucy training with you this morning?”

J’onn straightens and pulls his gaze away from Alex. “Yes. She thinks very... _loudly_ when we train.”

Alex snorts and shakes her head. “That doesn’t surprise me.”

“It _is_ clear to me that she’s been hiding some things, but then most people do have secrets,” J’onn continues.

“So then the fact remains that we haven’t identified who placed the bomb - although we have confirmed that someone wanted very much for us to believe it was Lucy.” Kara knows her voice sounds hollow but she can’t help it. It’s still hard to believe that someone had wanted her family dead, let alone enough so much so that they’d frame someone close to her.

“Lucy!” Alex exclaims with wide eyes. “Kara, your aunt is questioning Lucy. You need to find her, especially if your aunt has seen this!”

“What?” Kara’s shocked back from the numb state that has threatened to envelope her all day. “Why would she be questioning Lucy?”

“I, uh,” Alex looks away for a moment, “was on my way to interrogate Lucy. She was there this morning just before.”

Kara is still as she considers how very much like Alex that is. She shakes her head. Alex is one of the most intelligent people Kara’s ever met, and yet Alex has this innate ability to go off on a tear when someone she loves is threatened. Kara can recall a specific birthday party when she was young at which Kal had made her cry - Alex had arranged a rather messy vengeance on him and his brand new boots that very same night.

“You can stop your aunt,” J’onn interjects. “You aren’t formally the ruler of New Krypton yet, but you have nearly all the authority already.”

Logically this is something Kara understands, but her stomach lurches all the same in recognition that her father - as well as her mother, aunt, and uncle - are well and truly gone.

“Aunt Astra is grieving too, I’m worried what she’ll do if she sees this.” Kara stares down at the frozen image of Lucy for a few heartbeats. “I need to present a strong front, but I am incapable of doing much physically now. I will call Kal and ask him if he’s ready to take up the same mantle his father held - either way, we need to help Lucy.”

She can see the relief on Alex’s face. Alex is certainly feeling guilty for doubting Lucy, and perhaps even is glad that Kara will not be leaving the room. In truth Kara would like nothing more than to storm off to find her aunt, but the breathlessness she’d felt at simply sitting up had served as an indicator that perhaps the healers had been correct in restricting her to bed rest for the time being.

“I’ll speak with Kal at once. I’ll accompany him to intercept your aunt.” Alex hesitates. “Maybe Lois should come sit with you. I don’t think she even knows Lucy has been taken.”

“That might be a good idea. Alex, when you find Aunt Astra, she might want to speak to J’onn to verify your claims. We’ll be waiting for the call.” They share a meaningful look, and then Alex nods.

“I’ll watch over her,” J’onn supplies helpfully when Alex hesitates at the door.

“I know,” Alex says with the barest hint of a smile before she disappears through the door.

*****

A lot of scenarios pass through Alex’s mind as she and Kal stalk the halls with a small entourage of military guild guards. Kal’s eyes had been red and his hair mussed when Alex had shown up at his door, but he’d pulled himself together once Alex had explained her presence.

A careful conversation with Lois had followed, and then Lois had been pushing them out the door with both hands. Though Lucy has been less than warm to Lois, Lois has never stopped loving her little sister. “Find her,” Lois had demanded in a shaking voice.

Alex is certain that Lois would have accompanied them in a heartbeat if it hadn’t been for her personal request for Lois to go sit with Kara while she heals. Perhaps Lois had understood Alex’s other silent plea; Alex has no idea what methods General Ze would have utilized by now to find the answers she seeks.

It is with this in mind that Alex leads the charge first to General Ze’s office, where the general is nowhere to be found, and then to the private interrogation rooms housed in the military guild wing itself.

There are guards outside one such room, and Alex’s stomach clenches. The use of one of these rooms doesn’t bode well for Lucy. Her hands itch for her daggers, and she keeps her right hand casually on her hip as they approach the unfamiliar guards.

“Is General Ze in there?” Kal asks brusquely.

The thicker muscled of the two guards glances at Kal. “The general is not to be disturbed,” she says.

Alex bares her teeth in what no one would ever claim to be a smile. “We’re here on orders of the Acting Ruler, Kara-El. The general _will_ be disturbed.”

Kal reaches out and taps her gently on the shoulder. “She is correct. The Acting Ruler wishes to speak with the general, and more importantly retrieve the human that is being wrongly detained.”

When the guards hesitate further, Kal pulls out his crystal and presses softly along its top. The symbol of El is projected for a few important seconds, edged in gold and glowing white.

It denotes Kal’s new rank as Vice-Ruler, and the guards bow their heads before stepping aside.

Alex is first into the room, her hand still at her hip.

“What is the meaning of--” General Ze’s words abruptly cut off when she turns and finds Alex standing at the door. Her gaze flickers to Kal before she turns to the side to view Lucy.

To Alex’s relief Lucy is restrained to a chair and looks largely unharmed, though her shirt is gone and there’s a dagger resting ominously on the table.

“Acting Ruler Kara-El has cleared Lucy Lane of wrongdoing in the matter of the bombing. You are to cease this interrogation and report to her immediately,” Kal declares.

Alex glances his way and sees anger in his demeanor. She knows he considers the old ways barbaric, but wonders how he would feel knowing that she’s done much the same as Astra was about to do.

General Ze’s lips purse into a thin line. She doesn’t move as one of Kal’s guards step forward to release Lucy, instead focusing on Alex. “I’ll join you shortly. I’d like to speak with Alex for a moment.”

When Kal glances her way, Alex nods. It only takes a moment for the room to be emptied, and then Alex casually locks the room from the inside.

“Presumptuous,” General Ze says with a raised eyebrow.

“Hardly.” Alex quirks a half-smile her way and then her high concentration Kryptonite daggers are unsheathed. The room is lined with lead for just such demonstrations, and Alex watches dispassionately as Astra falls to the ground.

Astra lands roughly on her side, veins throbbing visibly at her forehead as she glares up at Alex. “You would dare…?”

“The evidence against Lucy was fabricated, and Kara knows that without a doubt.” Alex begins pacing. “Not only did someone have the authority to get a device into the Fortress and into the very _secure_ Hall of El, but they had the resources and ability to doctor and implant _crystal_ data. Tell me then, General, who possibly here could manage all these things without suspicion?”

General Ze goes pale, blinking slowly and staring at Alex. “You think I would kill my own sister?”

“You forget that you’ve personally overseen my training for years. I know you would do just about _anything_ to protect your ideals for New Krypton. So what was it, hm? Didn’t like the though of humans becoming Kryptonian citizens?” Alex’s hands clench around the grips of her daggers tightly.

The laughter catches her by surprise - it’s tired and melancholy, and Astra wearily rolls over until she’s resting on her back. “I have done many terrible things over the years, Alex Danvers, but I would never do that. I may be guilty of manipulating you into my perfect weapon, but I was one of the most ardent supporters of the Human Rights Assertion being expanded to include citizenship.”

“I don’t believe you,” Alex says even as her hands loosen around her dagger hilts.

“It was Kara’s parents that opposed that final step most,” Astra adds in a biting tone. “Perhaps _they_ were threatened by the thought of being equals to a species they thought weaker than our newborn children - but I only saw opportunity.”

The fire in Astra seems to fade, her eyelids fluttering as she fights the urge to sleep.

Alex knows she doesn’t have long to sheathe her daggers before Astra loses consciousness and begins to get sick. “Do you have any proof of this?”

It’s several moments before Astra manages to form the words. “I’ve gone on record in the private council meetings - as did Kara’s parents. Kara will not be restricted from that information any more. She can verify my…” Astra stops and struggles to moisten her lips. “I love Kara. And you, in my own way.”

Alex stares down at her mentor for a few seconds more before sheathing her daggers. She leans over and tugs Astra up awkwardly by a hand. “Can you walk?”

“I’ll manage,” General Ze says as she brushes her uniform off. “You did well.”

“I’ll get you a sunstick,” Alex snaps in lieu of acknowledging the awkward praise. One of the portable temporary sources of synthetic sunlight will do well in steadying Astra’s balance.

She retrieves one from the armory and rejoins General Ze, ignoring the curious looks of the general’s guards. “I’ll escort you back to Kara’s room,” Alex says as she subtly hands over the sunstick.

“An honor,” General Ze says without sarcasm as she twists the sunstick on.

*****

Kara is left feeling numb when her many guests leave. Lucy’s name had been cleared, but Kara has been left with many more questions than answers.

_“The only thing that’s clear to me is that whoever did this is part of the same group behind the other Kryptonite attacks.” Aunt Astra looks grim and tired. It’s obvious the day has taken a toll on her._

_“How has that investigation been going?” Alex cuts in before anyone else can respond._

_Aunt Astra sighs and rubs at her face. “Not well. Cirl-Nis’s information has only taken us so far. There has been no evidence of a Great House being involved, but after today...I can only believe that one_ must _have turned against New Krypton.”_

_“It doesn’t make any sense. If it was a Great House that hated the thought of humans becoming citizens, why would they eliminate the small group of people keeping that from happening? The Elder Council is made up entirely of Great House members. It’s abundantly clear that Kal and I favor citizenship. Unless…” Kara swallows._

_“Unless they_ want _the humans to gain citizenship,” Alex says in a hollow voice._

_“Assuming the situation with the humans has anything to do with any of the attacks,” J’onn cuts in. “It could be extremists from the western hemisphere, rogue Atlanteans who want more territory, or even dissatisfied citizens from Gorilla City striking out. There are too many possibilities and not enough information.”_

The room had quieted then, and then Alex had ushered everyone out.

Kara smiles to herself. Alex had immediately seen the exhaustion steal the last of her energy away.

“I brought you something,” Alex murmurs as she returns from her short trip to the door. There’s a tray in her hands, and Kara catches a the scent of food.

The only thing that surprises Kara is that she actually feels like she can eat. For the first time since Kara can remember, food has been the last thing on her mind. “It smells good.”

“Sweet potatoes, carrots, and sliced chicken,” Alex explains as she sets the tray down on the ornate nightstand. “Do you want me to help you sit up?”

“Yes, please.” Kara is too tired to argue otherwise. She grunts as Alex helps her straighten, letting out a sigh as Alex adjusts a pillow behind her lower back. “This has been a long day.”

Alex smiles sadly. “Yeah. Kind of thought it would never end.”

They don’t move for a few moments, but then Kara feels sadness still the peace away. “Did you see them?” she asks in a low, careful voice.

There’s only the sound of Alex’s breathing as Alex considers what to say. “Yes.”

“I-is it…?”

“It’s bad,” Alex says with a nod, “but tomorrow we will send them to Sol, just as they sent your grandfather. They will not be alone.”

The words bring a modicum of comfort, but then Kara’s reaching out to Alex with both hands when she feels the edges of her equilibrium crumble. “They’re really gone.”

Kara is unsure how long she cries into the solid steadiness of Alex’s shoulder, but Alex is patient and her hands are gentle as she tirelessly rubs at Kara’s head and back.

“They’ll have their own star soon enough,” Alex murmurs after a time, “one where they’re laughing and loving, and warm in its light.”

It’s funny, Kara thinks, how she can laugh and cry at the same time. The decades old human children’s story fits surprisingly well with the beliefs her people have brought over from Old Krypton. It’s always puzzled her how they could be so alike and so different all at once.

Her tears slow and stop after a time, and still Alex holds her. The soft fingers that trail through Kara’s hair are hypnotic, and Kara is glad to have this peace to grieve and mourn in private.

“You think you could eat a little? You haven’t had anything all day, and you need your strength.”

Kara glances over to the tray of cold food and nods even though the little appetite she’d felt earlier is gone. Alex is right, but worse, Alex is worried.

Alex cuts the food up into careful bites, feeding Kara with little more than a brow raised in challenge.

The food tastes pleasant even in its cooled state, and Kara manages to eat more than she thought she would. After crying and eating, it feels like every last bit of Kara’s energy is gone.

“In the morning we’re going back to the healing wing so they can give you another round of nanites. You’ll spend time under the sun lamps, and then if you feel up to it,” Alex hesitates.

“I’ll see my family off to Sol,” Kara says softly.

“Yeah.” Alex takes the food tray away and steps outside briefly, returning empty handed. “Let's get some rest.”

Kara nods and watches as Alex quickly changes into some loose sleeping clothes and dims the lights.

As Alex settles behind her and holds her close, Kara finds herself looking out the window. She can still see the stars through the crystal.

“Do you ever wonder which star will be ours?” she asks in a low voice.

At first Kara thinks Alex won't respond; it _is_ a rather morbid question.

“Sometimes I used to,” Alex admits. “After a while I realized it didn't matter. No matter what happens, we'll be together. That's enough for me.”

Kara chuckles and reaches for Alex's hand. “I suppose it's like the story then: all the stars are ours, in a way.”

Alex responds by pulling her just a little closer. “That sounds good to me.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man this has been a beast. I've written and re-written this last part trying to get things to go off correctly. Needless to say there might be errors (especially in the last half of this as it was a bit different at first). I'm posting this because I'm already a day late but this is something I can live with.
> 
> If *you* can live with typos and such, I would say go ahead and read this. I've nearly gone cross eyed trying to reread this on only a few hours of sleep. If you'd rather wait for it to receive more smaller edits, I'll be checking through tomorrow evening for those.

* * *

The next day is clear and beautiful with crisp blue skies and nary a cloud in sight. Kara stares up at Sol longer than she should, feeling its warmth along her skin and hoping it can heal the parts deep inside that still ache and throb painfully with the loss of her family.

“Hey,” comes Alex’s quiet voice, “you ready?”

Kara, who’s been sitting a small patch of land that’s been recently plowed for planting, pauses in running her fingertips through the rich black soil. She’d wanted to remind herself that despite her losses, the future promised new life and new hope. Her excursion had only been half successful.

“No.” The word is quiet and somber, much like Kara’s been feeling all morning.

Her eyes slide shut when Alex kneels and brings a gentle hand to her shoulder. “I understand.”

For a moment it feels like Kara can’t breathe, but then Alex squeezes her shoulder once. Kara remembers that Alex hadn’t gotten this, hadn’t gotten to say goodbye to her father. Her heart aches because she can’t imagine not being able to send her family off.

She turns, and it seems Alex is expecting it with her arms wide and her head tilted so Kara’s head can rest snugly against the reassuring curve of her neck.

“I couldn’t do this without you,” Kara murmurs as she inhales the comforting smell of Alex’s scent.

When Alex speaks, there’s a touch of gentle admiration in her voice. “Yes, you could. You are Kara of El, and you are the strongest person I know.”

Kara doesn’t feel strong, but she trusts Alex. “Well, I don’t want to do this without you.”

Alex laughs, a warm and soft sound that makes Kara smile in spite of her mourning. “Good thing you don’t have to.”

They linger in each other’s embrace for a few more precious minutes. Kara takes a deep breath. “I’m ready.”

She stands with Alex’s assistance, and then they make their way hand in hand back to their room.

“You picked a nice spot,” Alex says when Kara’s standing before a mirror in the pristine white gown that marks her as a child of El.

Kara pauses in adjusting her hair, a sad smile on her face. “It’s the spot that gets the most sunlight in the entire fortress.”

She can’t explain her sudden need to have a spot full of the rare Kryptonian flora - Rao Blossoms, her mother’s favorite - but Alex had somehow made all the arrangements for highmost terrace to be converted from a sitting area into what Kara knows will be her own personal memorial garden.

Alex moves, and Kara can see her face reflected in the mirror. She looks solemn. “It’s time.”

Kara nods and swallows, her heart suddenly racing with fear. “Hold my hand?”

“Of course,” Alex says as she reaches out and threads their fingers together.

The ceremony goes smoothly, though tears trickle steadily down Kara’s face as she and her aunt lead the Prayer of the Dead together.

“..and await the night we join you in the sky,” they finish in tandem.

Kal’s eyes shimmer as he flies forward to personally send his parents’ pods off, and then all four of the eerie coffins begin their automated trajectory to the sun.

The small crowd of Kryptonians that have been allowed at the ceremony are respectfully quiet until the coffins can no longer be seen. Kara ignores nearly everyone but the few people waiting on the ground once the coffins are out of sight, only managing a quick wave to a high-flying J’onn who’s in charge of security while Kara’s family mourns.

“You did well,” Alex says with a small tilt of her head as Kara slowly floats down.

Kara responds by pulling her into a hug. Kara’s tired from forcing herself to fly before she’s fully healed, but it had been important to show strength for her people - and maybe for herself, too.

They pull apart when Kal and Astra join them, though Kal immediately accepts a lingering hug from a quiet Lois.

Lucy watches away from the small group, eyeing Astra warily. Alex keeps an eye on both, but frowns when Lucy seems to be bracing herself for something.

“I have to tell you something,” Lucy blurts out suddenly. She looks around nervously. “In private.”

It’s unclear who exactly she’s speaking to, but Kara steps forward. “We can borrow one of the nearby sitting rooms.”

Lucy nods, and Kara turns to lead the way. She’s unsurprised when Alex falls into step beside her. Their hands brush with every other step, and Kara focuses as she selects one of the rooms lined with visual-audio suppressants to keep the conversation private. She isn’t sure what Lucy wants to talk about, but she’s glad Alex will be with her.

Alex motions the door open, and then they’re inside the moderately sized room.

Kal looks serious and Lois looks worried as they select spots on one of the comfortable padded sofas.

Kara is considering standing when Alex gives her a pointed look. She lets out a silent sigh and sits on one of the standalone chairs. Astra remains by the door, and Alex stands directly to Kara’s right.

Lucy paces in the middle of the room, avoiding a low table and not meeting anyone’s eyes directly. Her hands are shaking by the time she takes a deep breath and looks directly at Kara.

“I had nothing to do with the bombing,” she pauses as her throat works, “but I think I know who did.”

The room remains silent after Lucy’s declaration, and Kara wonders if everyone else is as shocked as she is. “Who? How?” Kara asks after the initial shock wears off.

“I…” Lucy’s mouth opens and closes as words seem to fail her. Her eyes fill with unshed tears before being squeezed shut. “I didn’t come here because I wanted to. I came here because I was asked to.”

Lois is the first to respond. “By whom?” she asks in an achingly sad voice.

Lucy takes a shuddering breath before opening her eyes and facing Lois. “By our father.”

“Your father is dead,” Kal declares softly.

“No,” Lucy says as her mouth hardens into a thin line. “He’s not. He’s very much alive, and he very much hates Kryptonians.”

Though Kara has been struggling to understand what one has to do with the other, Lucy’s last phrase strikes through Kara like a bolt of electricity. “Your father…?”

“I think so.” Lucy still looks like she’s about to cry, and her chest heaves as she struggles to keep her breathing even. “I used to hate you all so much too. I don’t know if any of you really know what was happening in Kryptonopolis.”

“Kryptonopolis is famous for the precious minerals it produces,” Astra says as she takes a few stiff steps forward.

“Only to the blind that live here in Argo City,” Lucy spits out angrily.

Though Kara has so many questions, she won’t get them if her aunt and Lucy begin arguing. It’s hard for her to articulate any of the many things she wants to know. She knows her aunt is upset - she is too - but now isn’t the time. “Lucy,” Kara says softly.

Lucy blinks and looks away from Astra, her anger washing away when she focuses on Kara.

“Sorry.”

There’s a heaviness to the lone word that makes Kara think Lucy’s apologizing for far more than losing her temper. Dread fills Kara’s stomach like lead.

*

Lucy looks small and out of place in her black uniform amidst the colorful and luxurious furnishings of the room. Alex stares at her and thinks of what she’d seen in the interrogation room only yesterday.

Without her shirt on, it had been easy to see the many scars that were carved into Lucy’s flesh. Most weren’t the dagger marks favored by Kryptonians learned in the old methods. Though Alex will always choose what’s best for Kara, there is a part of her that already understands what Lucy’s going to say. There had been rumors, of course.

“Kryptonopolis is far from here and the council. There, humans were used more to mine and extract the precious materials used in many walks of your Kryptonian lives. The work can be strenuous, and as a result many of us grew to be quite strong.” Lucy’s hands flex at her sides. “Before I was born, some Kryptonians saw opportunity in our ability. It became popular to take some of us and run us through challenging courses - and then when we were tired and hungry, they made us fight for our food.”

Alex’s head tilts in recognition; Lucy’s rudimentary fighting abilities make sense to her now. She’s unsurprised by the information, having seen and heard all sorts of things in the years she’s spent hunting down enemies of New Krypton.

It hits her that though Kara has pored over all the reports available, this information will be new. She reaches out to rest a hand on Kara’s shoulder, her stomach twisting when Kara gives her a shocked look.

“After Lois was taken, Dad was really angry. He got in trouble, and that’s when they started making him fight. After a while, Dad kind of got used to it. He got better. Our sponsor thought that maybe it would be interesting to bring me into it. Dad was furious.” Lucy looks haunted for a moment, but she shakes her head and continues. “After that he tried something stupid. Mom tried to help, and then the next day some of our sponsor’s men came and said they’d died in an accident.”

“Wait,” Lois cuts in with a shaky voice, “if Dad’s alive, why wouldn’t he come to me? I would have talked to Kal, we would have stopped all of that.”

Rancor paints Lucy’s face then; resentment and something else that fades the longer Alex looks.

Alex’s mouth twitches and her back slowly straightens, wanting to redirect the conversation. The story is familiar. “But your father didn’t die?”

Lucy looks away and shakes her head. “No, but Mom did. Dad survived. He was hurt and got taken in by some people that had escaped. Outlaws. I thought he was dead for a long time, but last year he came and found me. He had a plan, and with the help of some people that had escaped before humans were released from service - and a few that sought him out after they were freed - he started executing it. When he asked me to come here so he would have someone here if he needed it, I said yes. He said I’d be helping to truly free us of Kryptonians.”

Any questions Alex has about her own life are pushed aside as her mind leaps to the next obvious conclusion. “Is he responsible for red Kryptonite?”

“I think so,” Lucy admits. “He said one of his top advisors used to work for a sponsor near Argo City that liked to produce rare Kryptonite based-drugs for Kryptonians to enjoy for certain parties. He said that advisor has proven to be invaluable.”

“But _humans_ were hurt and even killed in those incidences,” Kara says. Her face is pinched in a mix between shock and outrage, both things that Alex understands because she’s feeling them too.

“Yeah.” Lucy looks down and swallows. “I’d heard about the Kryptonians attacking, but like everyone else in the human settlements I thought it was just because they hated us. It wasn’t until I came here that I started to realize that maybe Dad’s mixed up in something he doesn’t understand.”

“Oh, I think he understands.” Astra voice is cold and flat, and her expression is hard as her eyes blaze with fury. “He used the natural fear your people have for mine to swell the ranks of his group. He didn’t care who died as long as it furthered his cause. His hate is too absolute.”

There’s a rushing sound in Alex’s head as small things that didn’t make sense sharpen and bring the obvious into focus. “Kryptonians are arrogant in their perceived superiority.” She blinks slowly and looks around the room. “I’m guessing that in each of these incidences, we’ll find human servant access codes were never restricted from the security systems.”

There’s a pregnant pause as everyone digests the truth.

“Lucy,” Kara says in a careful voice, “if you didn’t know about the bombing, what _were_ you doing near the Hall of El?”

“A few days ago I received a message that Dad was going to leave something for me there. I was worried it would be something bad, that it would be red Kryptonite. I-I didn’t know it was going to be…”

“Dad set you up?” Lois voice is high. Her hands clench in her lap, and then Kal reaches over to gently take them into his own. “Why? Why would he kill Kal’s family?”

“I don’t know,” Lucy says with a voice that breaks. The tears that have lingered in her eyes without spilling over begin to finally trickle down her cheeks.

Alex can only stare. Family has always been the most important thing to her, whether by blood or choice. It’s anathema to her that Lucy’s father would condemn her to death.

“I think I know,” Kal says. When everyone turns to focus on him, he smiles apologetically. “I mean about why he targeted the Hall of El.” He gives Kara a sad look. “They were going to make an official decision about human citizenship soon. The elder council knew, and so did I.”

“I didn’t,” Astra says sharply. It’s clear she’s unhappy with being left in the dark.

“Was it clear which way they were going to go?” Alex asks before anyone else can.

Kal sighs and shakes his head. “I’d like to think they would have approved it, but…”

“I don’t think they would have.” Kara sounds distracted and thoughtful. “They could have approved it quite a while ago, but they didn’t. This entire time Kal and I have been fighting with the elder council over this issue, our parents could have stopped it at any time by siding with us - but they never did.”

A certain kind of sadness grows in Alex because Kara’s right. In all of Alex’s history lessons pertaining to Krypton, it has been made clear that the only reason any Kryptonians survived was because of Jor-El the first, who’d defied council wishes and enlightened the entire world to Old Krypton’s imminent demise. Those that had scoffed at him had remained and died.

Upon landing on Earth, the senior Jor-El had declared he was done obeying council wishes and the people had rallied to appoint him their new leader. The council had only been formally re-established at the behest of his youthful children Zor-El and Jor-El the second, and Kara’s grandfather had agreed that it was best to have a direct line to the thoughts of his people.

The New Krypton council always bowed to the wisdom of the House of El.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything about the message. I was scared.” Lucy’s arms are crossed protectively over her chest, and she’s looking earnestly between Kal and Kara.

“You will be taken in for questioning,” Astra says flatly. She’s glaring at Lucy, and Alex knows she’s wishing she’d had more time to interrogate the petite human.

“No, she will not.” Kara’s voice is strong and steady, and Astra’s mouth closes with an audible click.

“Can you think of anything else that might be important, Lucy?” Kara asks. She looks troubled, but it’s clear she doesn’t want to scare Lucy.

Lucy’s head is shaking, a desperate look on her face. “No. I’ve been thinking and thinking ever since the bomb went off, and he never told me more than what I’m telling you. I’m sorry, I wish I could help more. I like it here - for the most part. I’d never wish harm on you or your family.”

“You’ve given a face to our enemy.” Astra looks calmer than before, though Alex doesn’t doubt she’d take Lucy away in a heartbeat if she were able. “That is already of great value to us.”

“We need to decide what we do next,” Alex declares when Astra and Lucy continue to share an intense look.

“J’onn should be here,” Kara says.

“I’ll get him,” Astra replies. “I’ll be back shortly.”

*****

Kara is tired by the time the day officially ends. They’d spent a lot of time discussing options. Despite the information provided by Lucy, there’s still much they don’t know. Alex and Aunt Astra had proven to be particularly helpful with their knowledge of the red Kryptonite investigation, and J’onn had shared some insight from his time spent along with Alex and Kara’s excursions to Midvale and other small human settlements.

They’d only made some cursory decisions before they’d been pulled away. There were certain traditions involved in the passing of family, and even more for those of passing leaders. Kara had been forced to hold court at a large social gathering that was open to all of the Houses.

J’onn and the rest of the military guild were taxed trying to keep security tight for such a gathering, but Kara and Kal had both felt that the tradition of the celebration of the deceased ones’ lives was important in the face of the shock of their deaths.

In truth, Kara hadn’t felt much like celebrating. Her whole life she’d been lonely, wishing her parents could spend more time with her. As a child she’d decided that her chance would come when she came of age and took her rightful place learning from her parents’ wisdom. She’d had precious little time of that, and despite all the words she’d recited today, the knowledge that she’d never get to hug her mother or kiss her father’s cheek again pulls at her like the gravity of a black hole.

“Did you eat enough?” Alex asks as she changes into her sleep clothes.

Kara’s smile is automatic, but small. “Yes.”

Alex absently tugs her shirt into place as she looks at Kara. “You hardly touched your sweet rolls.”

“I ate enough,” Kara reiterates with a long look.

Alex tilts her head curiously as she examines Kara. “Okay.”

The lopsided smile on her face makes Kara’s shoulders relax. Alex is just worried. Like always.

“Come rest with me.” Kara’s voice is soft and vulnerable, and half a beat later Alex is next to her and pulling her close.

“A lot happened today,” Alex says.

Kara makes a noise of agreement in her throat as she cuddles in closer so that her nose is brushing the soft skin of Alex’s face. Just for a few seconds she wants to not think, and to allow her bond with Alex to soothe the raw parts of her that will probably take a great deal of time to properly heal.

Alex begins to hum, a low sound that Kara can just barely feel the gentle vibrations of. She’s always thought that Alex has a very lovely voice. Her eyes close and she smiles as the sound continues, and she discerns it to be an old children’s lullaby.

She thinks of her childhood and how lucky she was to have Alex as a part of it almost from the very beginning. Her smile fades as she realizes how lucky Alex was too.

Lucy’s vague story of her own life has Kara wondering how bad her life truly was. Did Lucy get to have a childhood at all? That could have been Alex’s life. It _had_ been Alex’s life for a brief few years.

“Alex, what did you think of Lucy’s story today? Do you think it’s all true?” Though Kara believes Lucy, part of her silently hopes it isn’t. She’s read many tales of woe in her research, but it’s different to see the long-term effects on someone she knows - and though Lucy may not know, feel, or understand it yet - someone Kara considers to be a part of her family.

“Yes. Lucy isn’t the type to embellish much.” Alex’s response is matter-of-fact, businesslike.

Kara frowns, and she pulls back enough so she can look at Alex’s face. “What’s wrong?”

For a moment Alex looks startled, but then she shakes her head and smiles woefully. “Sometimes I forget how well you know me.”

“You’ll get used to it again.” Kara brings a hand up to cup Alex’s face. “Now _please_ , tell me.”

It’s clear that Alex is internally struggling with something as a troubled look settles on her face. “Lucy’s story? It just kind of hit a little close to home. My dad put on a good face for me when I was little, but I think he would have been very angry. My mom was too upset to even pretend once we got the news.”

Kara’s throat works as she mulls over the similarities between Alex and Lucy. A thought hits her suddenly, and she’s upset that she hasn’t considered it sooner. “Alex, I can access your files now.”

Alex looks confused. “What, now? Why?”

“I didn’t tell you before, but I tried looking into what happened your father. Well, I meant to tell you, but then it was your birthday and...a lot of things have happened, like you said.” Kara falters before focusing again. “The point of it is that for some reason your files were restricted or missing. Only my parents could access them, but now--”

“Now you can access them,” Alex finishes in a hollow voice.

She’s not as excited as Kara would think, causing Kara to frown. “Alex, isn’t that a good thing?”

“I--if you can read my files, Kara, then that means you can read _everything_.”

And Kara suddenly understands the worry and anxiety Alex is displaying. Despite everything they’ve said to each other, Kara knows that Alex is still sensitive about the things she’s done since volunteering for the military guild.

“Oh, Alex,” Kara says with a sigh before she leans forward to brush a tender kiss to Alex’s trembling lips. “We might be able to finally find out what really happened to your father. Come on, we’ll look at them together. Okay?”

Alex looks so vulnerable that it’s hard for Kara to remember the distant persona Alex favors around others.

“Okay,” Alex finally says.

Kara leans forward to kiss her again, and is relieved when Alex favors her with a small smile.

It takes a few minutes for them to set up, and several more still for Kara to initiate the recovery process for the protected information. The AI is less frustrating to deal with this time, though Kara acknowledges the high price for the access as they briefly wait.

“File: Danvers family tree has been restored,” the AI announces evenly. “An additional file has been located in relation to this file. Would you like to initiate file recovery sequences?”

“Yes,” Kara replies. Her last attempt is fresh in her mind, and hope blossoms in her chest when she realizes the data on Jeremiah might be directly available. Alex should be relieved not to have to relive her experiences.

Though Kara would like to hear more about them, she wants them to be shared when Alex is ready to share and not before.

“File: Danvers, Jeremiah has been restored.”

“Access file: Danvers, Jeremiah.” Kara’s heart is pounding furiously in her chest as the heretofore missing file is opened. She reaches out to tug the holo display wider, making it easier to read for both her and Alex.

The information starts out benign enough with generic data about his birth and upbringing, but Kara freezes when she reaches the end of the file.

“Executed for treason against New Krypton, adjudicated by Cirl of Nis.” Alex stares at the holo, which seems to flicker under her dead-eyed look.

Kara can only stare in disbelief, and she can’t help but wonder how many more of the publicly declared accidental deaths are also falsely reported. What’s more, her parents had _known_. The secret funeral Alex wasn’t allowed to attend suddenly makes more sense.

Alex’s chest heaves dangerously with her anger, and Kara reaches out with cool hands in attempt to help assuade it.

“I’m sorry, Alex,” is all she can say.

When Alex looks at Kara there’s anger and hurt and more, but her face crumples after a moment. “It’s not your fault,” Alex murmurs. She takes a shuddering breath. “Thank you for showing me this.”

Kara isn’t sure that what she’s done is a good thing. Is it really better for Alex to know this? She isn’t sure, but it wasn’t for her to decide. She made a promise to Alex, and not keeping it had never been an option.

“There’s not much more here,” Kara says in the same apologetic voice. There’s no specifics on Jeremiah’s supposed treason, only the time and date of his death. The data deletion had probably happened once Alex had joined the military guild and had gained access to certain files - and perhaps learned how to access restricted files, given her appointed line of work.

“That’s okay,” Alex says in a quiet, rough voice. “I..I just…”

When Alex looks at Kara her eyes are shimmering with unshed tears, and though it’s difficult for Kara to see, it’s also somewhat of a relief; she’s cried so much for her own parents in the last twenty-four hours, and it’s good to have a reminder that there is grief beyond her own.

Their foreheads settle together, and when Kara has lost track of time she only sighs when Alex initiates a delicate, searching kiss.

Her breath catches when Alex pulls back and trails a hand delicately over her face, and she meets Alex halfway for the next kiss.

*****

It’s dark when Alex wakes up from the doze she’d allowed herself. She smiles mournfully at the feel of Kara’s face pressed into her naked shoulder, reveling in the simple comfort that means more to her than anything else in the world. She presses a careful kiss to Kara’s temple before she cautiously untangles their bodies, watching closely to make sure Kara’s still sleeping as Alex quietly retrieves her uniform.

As much as Alex had wanted the answers to the true events of her father’s death, now she just has more questions. A faint memory has tickled at the edges of her mind since she’d visited Midvale, and she knows what she wants to do to find those answers.

Her hands hover over her hips to check for the faint presence of her daggers. They’re still in place, as are her sword and both of her ankle daggers. She pauses as she considers how dangerous this ability is for the nth time. Now that Kara is ruler of New Krypton, Alex will make sure that security is tightened.

She glances back to the bed. Kara’s hair is spilled out over her pillow in soft waves that call to Alex to return to bed. It’s tempting.

Instead she reaches to tug at her collar, creating the mask and hood she favors while out on missions. The room is silent as she climbs up onto the window ledge and takes one last long look at Kara.

The freefall from their room helps wake Alex up, and she waits to slow her descent until the very last moment. It’s invigorating, though she does admit still doesn’t compare to flying with Kara.

Alex considers commandeering a craft to make her travel easier, but she decides against it. She wants to remain undetected for as long as possible. New Krypton is in a precarious situation so soon after the loss of its rulers, with many alliances hanging in the balance depending on Kara’s actions and choices.

Small bursts of magic get her out of Argo City quickly, and once she’s under the cover of some trees she reaches back for her sword to assist with something a little bigger.

She has to suck in careful breaths when the world stops warping around her and she makes out the vague silhouette of Midvale. Her sword is sheathed as she bounces on the balls of her feet and rolls her shoulders. The quick travel is unsettling to her senses, unnatural as it is to move through time and space in such a manner.

Alex flexes her hands and looks around, pleased that she’s close by where she wants to be. Though Cirl-Nis is long out of her reach, his estate isn’t.

Though it’s been some time since she’d stolen into his luxurious home and abducted him, Alex easily remembers the way to his personal chambers.

What Alex doesn’t expect is to find them in use.

“Who’s there,” comes the sleep-slurred voice.

Alex stiffens. She’d been so intent on finding the information she wants that she hadn’t done a proper check of the room. It would be easy to slip out, but Alex doesn’t. She recognizes the voice.

When the light flickers on, Alex is as still as a statue near the foot of the bed. Steward Crane looks bewildered and Alex smirks behind her mask before raising a hand.

The steward looks shocked, pulling the bedcovers tightly to her chest defensively. “Have you come to kill me?”

Alex responds by rolling her eyes and tugging her hood and mask off. “No, not at all. I didn’t know you’d be here.”

“I see,” Steward Crane says though Alex can see she really doesn’t understand at all.

“How long have you functioned as a steward of Midvale?” Alex asks though she knows the answer.

“Over twenty years,” the steward replies.

Alex swallows and nods as she brings a hand up to comb through her hair. “Then you knew Jeremiah Danvers.”

Steward Crane’s expression changes abruptly. She sends Alex a look of recognition. “Let’s sit and talk for a while.”

The steward - Miranda, or so Alex is corrected - shares more than Alex asks. Pleasant memories of events Alex was too small to remember, but also the worst ones of life after Alex’s departure.

“It wasn’t until nearly half a year after you were taken that he really started to lose his grip. I think he expected to be able to see you more. Most sponsors allow a certain level of communication between split families, but that wasn’t the case with you. No one here really blamed him when he took up with the outliers - outlaws, by Kryptonian law.” Miranda gives Alex a sympathetic look. “He just wasn’t careful about his association.”

“So he was a traitor?” Alex manages to ask around the lump in her throat.

Miranda raises her eyebrows and settles back in her chair. “I think, more than anything, he felt like he betrayed your family for letting you be taken away. I don’t know what I would have done in his position.”

Alex slumps, feeling worn and ragged. She’d expected to come here and find that Cirl-Nis had fabricated it all to keep some horrible secret. The truth is much simpler and yet more brutal than Alex had expected.

“Not long after your father’s _accident_ , the man that got him mixed up in all of that disappeared.”

“Who?” Alex demands as her head jerks up.

Miranda watches her for several moments before speaking. “Maxwell Lord. He was a brilliant scientist, some say even moreso than your father. Never liked him much.”

“What was his specialty?” Alex asks with distaste as her suspicion grows.

“He had several, though Cirl-Nis tended to put him to use on chemistry projects.” There’s an unspoken question to Miranda’s words, one that Alex ignores. Miranda Crane isn’t a bad woman, and Alex doesn’t want her to get mixed up in something much larger than she can handle.

Alex ducks her head down. The answers she’s sought have brought her little comfort, and weariness makes her rub both hands over her face. She misses the comfort of Kara’s arms and only wants to go home. “Thank you for telling me.”

“No problem,” Miranda replies with an odd smile. “Tell me: how does it feel knowing that you’ve betrayed all of humanity to be with that Kryptonian?”

Alex clenches her teeth and looks up slowly, pointedly looking at the entirely different pigment of Miranda’s skin compared to her own. “You act as if humanity wasn’t already guilty of everything the Kryptonians have done and more.”

Miranda’s smile evens out. She nods once. “I know. I only repeat what I’ve heard people say. I was curious of your reaction. You’ll need to get used to hearing that.”

“People will say what they want,” Alex says with a shrug, “it matters little to me.”

She almost declares her love for Kara, but doesn’t. Alex doesn’t need to prove anything, not to this woman, and not to anyone else. Her father had made his choices, and Alex has made hers.

“Sleep well,” Alex murmurs as she stands and tugs her mask and hood back into place.

She’s out the window before Miranda can reply.

*****

When Kara wakes up to an empty bed and the dark grey of early morning, she has a sinking feeling Alex has gone off to do something dangerous. Returning to sleep proves to be impossible, and so she finds herself looking up information on her parents’ stances at all the previous council meetings Kara can find.

The attempt at distracting herself works, and before long Kara is at her desk and frowning at an entry her father had made - one pertaining to another heated debate on expanding the Human Rights Assertion to include citizenship. Zor-El had referenced consulting a particular stored consciousness to assist in his decision, and Kara can only stare as she looks up the ID of the consciousness.

Jor-El, the first of his name.

Kara mourns the fact that her parents hadn’t had ample time to prepare their own consciousnesses for storing in crystal memory, but part of her knows that the simple capture of their minds would never be the same as seeing them in person, _alive_.

She’s about to call upon the consciousness of her grandfather when Alex climbs back into the room through the window.

Alex pauses before tugging her hood and mask away. “You’re awake,” she says warily.

“Yes,” Kara confirms with a sigh. She reaches out a hand and smiles at Alex’s immediate relief.

Alex hurriedly changes, though Kara can see she’s tired in fumbling usually absent from Alex’s movements.

Kara stands and opens her arms, and Alex immediately enters her embrace. “Did you find out what you needed to?”

Alex clutches her tighter for a second. “Yes. And no.”

The answer is confusing, but Kara just holds Alex for as long as she can. After several minutes Alex pulls away, and then she drags a chair over from the side to be next to Kara.

The tale unravels slowly, and again Kara wonders if the answers Alex has sought are ones that she truly needed to know. Alex doesn’t seem any happier, but instead rather tired.

“I don’t want to think about it anymore for now,” Alex finishes as she rubs tiredly at her face. She looks at the still open holo and sends Kara a curious look.

Kara smiles and explains about researching her parents’ decisions, and how she’d found out that they’d actively consulted her grandfather’s consciousness.

“Did you summon him?” Alex asks, looking more alert.

“No. I was about to.” Kara eyes her grandfather’s name, her curiosity returning in the face of Alex’s interest.

“Do it.” Alex rests a supportive hand on Kara’s knee.

Kara only hesitates briefly as she engages the consciousness for streaming, wondering idly if, like Alex, the answers she seeks will be worth the weight of their knowledge.

They turn in surprise when a deep voice sounds behind them. A man bearing a striking resemblance to her father is standing just behind her desk, his pristine white uniform half covered by a draped cloak. He’s not clean-shaven like her father, but sporting a silvered beard similar to that of Jor-El the second.

“You are Kara-El, Great Scion and Acting Ruler for New Krypton,” the man repeats in a level voice.

“Y-yes,” Kara stutters out in surprise. She’s still in her sleeping clothes and suddenly wishing she’d donned something formal in spite of the fact that the consciousness belongs to a long-deceased family member.

Jor-El turns his attention to Alex, his lip curling in distaste. “You keep quarters with a human.”

Any embarrassment Kara’s feeling fades. She stands and turns from her chair, raising her chin defiantly. “This is Alex Danvers, my friend and future consort. You will show her proper respect.”

He stares at her for a few beats, bemused by her response. “You are definitely of my line. Tell me, why have you summoned me?”

Kara swallows. “My parents recently died. I’ve been reviewing their council meeting notes. Those notes revealed that they’d consulted a particular consciousness for issues relating to human affairs - particularly the question of expanding the recent Human Rights Assertion include citizenship.”

Again Jor-El’s lip curls in distaste. “They approved that assertion despite my protests.” He paces a few feet. “At least they were smart enough to deny the humans citizenship. Those animals deserve nothing of the sort.”

“Us _animals_ ,” Alex cuts in, “had a right to live on our planet in peace. You weren’t invited here, and yet you still saw fit to take _our_ planet from us.”

Kara reaches out to take Alex’s hand in her own. They’ve had many discussions about the human usurpment, and Kara knows that Alex is still frustrated with the ultimate Kryptonian decision to completely take control.

“ _Peace_?” Jor-El says with incredulity. “Your planet was undergoing several wars with itself when we arrived. Despite our attempts to remain neutral, _your_ people took that ability away from us.”

Though the saved minds of her people are supposed to generally be considered more centered on logic and reason, Kara is startled to see what appears to be emotion from what amounts to a very sophisticated AI. “Grandfather, what do you mean?”

The quick burst of anger disappears from the holo-Jor-El’s countenance. “I keep forgetting the council convinced your father to leave out that part of history in your lessons.”

He paces a few more steps and then turns to face Kara. “Sit, children. I’ll tell you a story.”

Kara takes a seat and sends a pleading look to Alex, who grudgingly joins her a moment later.

“On the long journey from Old Krypton to this planet, it was decided that we would leave behind the burdens of war. Lok-Zod, High General of the Kryptonian army agreed. It was his ambition that helped speed along the destruction of our planet, and he was humbled by the destruction he brought upon our people. Imagine our surprise that when we arrive on Earth right in the middle of a World War - the second, in fact.”

Jor-El raises a hand and a series of holo images appear, depicting images of damaged scenery and cities. “Our arrival stilled hostilities for a time, and we were greeted warily by the people of this world. After some time it both sides realized we couldn’t be coaxed one way or another, and despite our attempts to broker a peace, the fighting continued.”

More images appear, these showcasing fields pock-marked by war and sprinkled with crumpled forms Kara realizes are bodies. “When we first came here, we were unsure how we would be affected by this planet’s atmosphere. Many got sick, and a few died. Still, we didn’t know for quite some time the gifts Sol would give us. It took more than a year under this sun for the changes to really take hold. I regret not knowing more about this before…”

Jor-El pauses and turns away. “Kara, did you know that your uncle Jor-El was a twin?”

“What? No. Father only had one sibling - didn’t he?” Kara falters when her grandfather turns, a distraught look on his face.

“No. You had another uncle. Nim-El. He was a bright boy, and he had this uncanny ability to make everyone around him feel comfortable. When the Axis and Allies requested small envoys of Kryptonian diplomats to steady our reluctant truce, Nim-El was first in line to volunteer. He was young. Too young to be sent off alone on a strange planet like this, but I allowed it. Lok-Zod sent his eldest daughter off to show his support as well.”

All the images of war fade away to be replaced by a single image of slender young man with short blond hair and a large smile standing next to a tall brunette woman with equally close-cropped hair. Kara stares at him them, not knowing what to make of the uncle that looks younger than she is and the woman at his side.

“After only a few days away from our ship, we lost contact with Nim-El, Sho-Zod, and the rest of the Kryptonians we’d sent out in good faith. The Americans claimed that our people had attempted to harm the president. The Germans announced that Nim-El had attacked several high ranking officials. Lok-Zod and I spent days trying to negotiate with the people of Earth. It was all for naught.”

The last image fades, and then Jor-El is left pacing from side to side. “Sho escaped from American imprisonment and found her way back to us, but she wasn’t in good shape. She told us of many horrors, tales of experiments and isolation. Growing fearful for Nim-El, I went out personally to confront the Axis forces. What I found there…”

A brittle smile grows on Jor-El’s face, and Kara completely forgets that this image of her grandfather isn’t real. “The children had begun to show signs of their power, and the humans saw it and decided to try and exploit it. Nim died before I could save him. Despite my vows of peace, I laid waste to the entire compound in my rage. Lok-Zod found me, and he and I agreed that before there could be peace, new leadership was in order. The humans had proven they were foul and incapable of honor. When Sho died, Lok-Zod had his own bout of rage. Between the two of us and the rest of the grieving families, there wasn’t much left of humanity after only a week.”

“So you punished an entire planet for the acts of a few,” Alex says though she’s pale and obviously having trouble digesting this alternate version of history.

“Yes, though we did have some regrets when our anger remained. The death toll didn’t bring our children back, and we left many more children without parents. So we decided to take pity on the rest of humanity and show them a better way of life. They would be taught and controlled, but never trusted.” Jor-El stops pacing and turns abruptly, fixing Kara with a wild-eyed gaze. “Do you understand why you cannot give the humans more than what they already have? They are poison, and they will destroy this planet.”

Kara, who’s been in a daze as she’s processed the information, stares at the unfamiliar image of her grandfather. “Yes,” she says as she reaches back and pulls her crystal from the command matrix.

Jor-El fades away, and Alex and Kara are left sitting in silence.

A lot makes sense to Kara now, at least on the surface. Her father had been unable to let the past go, much as her grandfather had. Though Jor-El’s tale had been horrifying, it hadn’t been so just for the acts of humanity.

“Tomorrow,” Kara says in a voice roughened by overwhelming emotion, “I’m expanding the Human Rights Assertion to include citizenship.” She’s too emotionally and physically exhausted to face the council today.

“But, Kara, what your grandfather just told us,” Alex begins in a soft voice.

Kara’s head is shaking before Alex can finish. “What he just told me is that both humans and Kryptonians are monsters; we just keep lying to ourselves to pretend we’re not. Fear and anger got us to where we are today. It’s time we try something new.”

“Like what?” Alex asks.

Kara takes a deep breath and then reaches out for Alex’s hand. Her thumb traces a pattern against Alex’s skin. When she looks up, their eyes meet. “Forgiveness. Hope.”

Alex’s head shakes from side to side. “Kara, I don’t know if that’ll work,” she says uneasily.

“We won’t know if we don’t try. Will you help me?” Kara holds her breath even though she’s fairly certain of Alex’s answer.

“Of course,” Alex replies with a lopsided smile.

Peace descends over Kara. Everything is suddenly much more possible with Alex on her side.

“Wait,” Alex says after several minutes, “does this mean I can’t kill Lucy’s dad?”

“ _Alex_.”

“I’m kidding, Kara. Well, mostly. I reserve the right to defend you and anyone else he might deem collateral damage.” Alex gives Kara a serious look.

Kara sighs and accepts that maybe there is no one perfect way to try and fix something that might not have a fix. “I would prefer if you didn’t have to kill - not just for me, but for you, Alex.”

The small bit of amusement in Alex’s expression fades. She nods solemnly. “Yeah, I know.”

When Kara stands, Alex follows. Alex tugs her gently back toward the bed, where Kara is technically still supposed to be recuperating. “Let’s rest a while, huh? Tomorrow will be difficult enough.”

“I love you,” Kara says when her eyelids droop and remaining conscious becomes an impossible feat.

“Love you too,” Alex murmurs back drowsily.

Alex has a moment of clarity right before she falls asleep; it doesn’t matter if humans and Kryptonians are perfectly the same or not. Both are capable of great ugliness - but as Kara begins to lightly snore, Alex concedes that both are capable of something truly magnificent and beyond words.

“Damn your infectious hope,” Alex mumbles as she drifts off.

Kara smiles in her sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From the beginning this story has always been about Alex and Kara. I hope there's enough resolution here at the end to satisfy most of you. The trappings of this world are just that - all of the other things are here just for you to better understand the Alex and Kara of this world. I'm the sort that doesn't like to tie up every little thread into a neat bow. I want you to think and consider all that's happened before and what might happen after the fade to black at the end.
> 
> All that being said, I'm bloody exhausted! I loved the concept of this story from the beginning, but the execution is always draining. Anyone creative will probably understand that. I hope you've enjoyed this journey, and as an added something, I'm going to try and get an epilogue up within the next few days. It won't be a long, full chapter. Perhaps maybe 1k or so just to get a sweeter tilt to the end here. I kind of like doing that, maybe I've become predictable for that...I don't know. Whatever, I like it. :)
> 
> Thanks again for coming along on this journey!


	12. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A few of you have expressed interest in a sequel. I have no plans for one. 
> 
> This is the kind of world that I could spend a hundred thousand words exploring and it still wouldn't be enough. The story I've wanted to tell has been told. I've left it in such a way that a good imagination could easily pick up where the story has left off to picture how things will be.
> 
> If you are unsatisfied, then there's nothing I can do. This story is far too intense for me to want to extend into a hundred thousand words or more, and as it is it has been incredibly draining. I have far too many other ideas that I'd like to get to, and I will.

* * *

“She’s doing well here.”

Alex stiffens at the familiar voice. She doesn’t respond, but instead continues to watch the lone figure tend to the budding Rao Blossoms.

It had been some time since Alex had seen her mother, but inquiries from Kara had brought Eliza to the Fortress of El in almost no time at all.

Eliza stops what she’s doing momentarily to glance back at the door. She squints and raises a hand to shield her eyes from the direct sunlight.

Alex’s heart beats erratically at the attention. She smiles when she receives a tentative wave.

“Kara let you read your file,” Astra murmurs as she leans against the doorjamb opposite Alex.

“Yes,” Alex replies after some hesitation. Everything had been there in plain Kryptonese for Alex to see. It had been Astra’s idea to isolate her from her parents, and Astra who had readily agreed to arrange a meeting between her and Eliza only when it was clear that there was something wrong with Eliza’s brain.

General Ze’s confession at manipulating Alex into the perfectly dedicated soldier had made sense upon reading the file. If Alex’s childhood hadn’t been irreparably tainted, she might even be able to admire the mastery of it.

“I did what I had to in order to be sure that Kara received a devoted and loyal companion. You surpassed my greatest expectations.” General Ze sounds proud of her accomplishment.

Alex breathes steadily as she gazes out at her mother. Eliza _is_ doing better, though she isn’t quite back to herself. She’s taken an exceptional shine to Kara, and Alex has been pleased to see her mother’s face light up when they visit.

“If you weren’t Kara’s blood, I’d slide a dagger between your ribs,” Alex declares evenly as she sends a small wave her mother’s way.

“I know.”

Alex faces Astra then, lips a grim line as she looks at her mentor. It’s hard to deny all of the things General Ze has taught her or arranged for her to be taught, but she’s not like Kara. She can’t forgive certain things. Her hands twitch with the urge to summon her daggers.

For Kara, she’ll do her best to not give into her instincts.

“Safe journey on your trip to Midvale,” Astra says after a moment.

Alex turns away without replying. The thing that Astra doesn’t understand, and probably never will, is that Alex would have loved Kara no matter how often she would have been able to see her parents.

*****

“I’m so glad to see Midvale prospering,” Kara says as she looks around the town. The denizens of the town had voted, and Midvale is now officially the first full human settlement to accept the rights of citizenship of New Krypton.

Kara had been quick to point out that no obligations came with the adjustment, but a world of protection did. Under human supervision there had been improvements to the town’s infrastructure, with many humans receiving on-site training in some of the more advanced technologies utilized by the healing and agricultural guilds before the larger improvements could be made.

If things go well, Kara hopes that additional upgrades can be implemented to improve the quality of life of every human citizen Kara already feels responsible for.

The Kryptonian traditions of stunting the availability to technology and only providing full educations for select servant positions are gone. Everyone will have an equal opportunity to pursue whatever they like - much like the Kryptonians themselves.

“I’ve considered your proposition,” Miranda Crane says in a noncommittal voice.

Kara glances in the steward’s direction.

Miranda turns to face Kara fully. “I accept your offer of a seat on the elder council.”

“I’m pleased to hear that. We’ve gone too long without hearing the voices of _all_ of the people. I only hope that more settlements will see that citizenship is a step in the right direction.” Kara knows perhaps she sounds too earnest, but it’s hard for her not to express her true feelings.

Miranda gives her a small smile. “We’ll see.”

And Kara returns the smile, because Miranda is nothing if not a neutral participant. It’s an improvement from the automatic hatred and fear that the humans have rightfully expressed in the face of her offer. Kara is determined to win her approval, and in extension, the approval of the rest of the undecided humans.

“Kara,” Alex’s voice cuts in, “we’ve got trouble to the northeast at the unofficial settlement that was recently established there. Looks like humans with unknown weapons are raiding the citizens there.”

Kara frowns because Alex looks grim. She glances at Miranda Crane.

“Best if it’s just the two of you,” Miranda supplies with raised eyebrows, “you don’t want to scare the people.”

Again Kara flashes her a smile. She turns to Alex, who already has her hood up. The mask isn’t in place, but Kara steps forward with open arms.

“You got your Kryptonite filter on?” Alex asks seriously.

Kara tilts her head and pulls aside her cloak to reveal the green indicator light over her right shoulder. Alex had spent weeks in a lab trying to create an effective filter that wouldn’t be easily destroyed. “Yes, now can we go?”

Alex’s eyes narrow but she tugs her mask up. Kara smiles.

She understands Alex’s worry, but she knows they’ll be fine. They’ve been training together again under J’onn’s ever watchful eye, and Kara has seen more of Alex’s new abilities in action. She isn’t sure if it’s their years training together or something else that makes them flow together seamlessly, but Kara knows they are a formidable team.

A thought hits her before they take off. “J’onn is going to kill us.”

Alex doesn’t respond, but her eyes twinkle mischievously.

Kara laughs for the first few moments of flight, and it takes almost no time at all to reach her destination. She can see the bursts of light from the odd guns a handful of the raiders are carrying.

Determination washes through her, and she gives Alex a serious look. “You ready?”

Their eyes meet, and Kara can almost hear the silent _always_.

They dive down together, intent on helping and protecting as many people as they can.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [OST: Noumenon](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7289803) by [Akaseru](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akaseru/pseuds/Akaseru)




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